Of Gods, Men and Machines
by Manus Dei
Summary: Two decades after the Sigma Uprising, an unprecedented threat arises. As a new generation of heroes joins the old, plans are set in motion and secrets revealed... for many are the paths of power. (Spoilers for Cyberworld Immortals and Flowers Admist Rubble)
1. Fire From the Sky

Prologue

Asimov University was the center of academic pursuits in Neo Atlantis, and its halls had seen not only several prominent figures in high technology industries but also more local personages such as the Imperative and the Affirmative, the highest authorities in the nation and whose hands and wills were responsible for keeping its moral compass true and its eyes turned to the future.

As a new generation of scientists, scholars and other innovators proceeded with their training, the need for fresh ideas and new ways of thinking was made more evident, and so the University had greatly expanded its campus, nearly doubling the size of the original complex.

In one of those new new areas, a young woman, seemingly just shy of the twenty year mark, was standing behind a polished metal desk, making a presentation for a group of about sixty assembled students.

"And so, in the aftermath of the Sigma Uprising, the gathered nations concluded that the Reordering had been a tremendous failure, as despite all the changes in borders, national sovereignty laws and administrative structure, it had still failed to provide a reliable framework to ensure the continued safety of the general population, geopolitical stability or integration of the various national and supranational law enforcement and civil protection agencies."

She spoke with a calm confidence, surveying her audience with a pair of deep blue eyes behind sturdy glasses of a simple and practical design, with a silvery titanium frame and slim circular lenses forming a set that was elegant in its simplicity. Her entire figure projected dignity and serenity, the light of the room casting her smooth features as some kind of ancient statue. A comfortable white wool sweater covered her chest, sheltering her from the excessive levels to which some of the custodial staff tended to set the air conditioning, while her lower body was snugly embraced by a pink dress, and her feet were covered by soft, flat soled white shoes. This was the very image of a person who prized both elegance and comfort, as she had obviously put care in her wardrobe but had not bothered putting on make up or excessive, uncomfortable ornaments and was clearly unwilling to subject her back and feet to the torments of high heels.

As she raised her left hand to straighten her glasses with slender fingers, an unusual digital watch came into view. The strap and casing seemed to be made of some kind of black plastic, with various buttons protruding from the circular central area. Even to a casual observer though, the display seemed disproportionately large, which suggested the watch might have other less common functions.

"Despite the best intentions of its proponents eighty years ago, national and ethnic identities are not something so easily overridden." she continued, pushing a button on the compact remote controller she was holding her right hand.

The image on the projection screen behind her changed, showing a world map with several areas marked in red.

"In the end, the world lashed out against the very concept of the Reordering, and many of the borders and statutes reverted to approximations of their original forms. While some areas such as the Middle East eventually came out of the experience with the conditions for a renewal, and an end to old feuds that had spilled so much blood over the centuries, other regions by the same note saw theirs escalated to entirely new and horrifying levels, such as the near catastrophe of Attari where a nuclear exchange was averted my mere minutes."

Pausing for a moment to let the students take notes, she then continued.

"To this day, some of these areas are still feeling the repercussions of these renewed animosities, and while groups such as the United Nations came out of the Dissolution with their power and authority reinforced, we are still far from achieving global stability. Human nature has once again proved difficult to overcome, even in situations where disunity can result in collapse."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a dark chamber…

"So you're sure about this?" a man's voice asked, gentle but clearly apprehensive.

"Yes sir." another man's voice replied, composed and professional.

"We had hoped that this day would never come." a woman's voice said, soft but tinged with regret. "But we have to hope that our preparations will be enough."

"It's time to send the signal." the first man's voice said. "We must gather everyone."

After a momentary pause, the same voice spoke again, clearly annoyed.

"And get someone to take a look at the damn lights!"

* * *

Back at the University, moments later...

The young woman was interrupted by a loud beeping sound and stopped in her tracks. She tensed up and with a frown, she looked at her watch. An insignia in the shape of a red hawk with its wings spread, shielding a white swan, appeared on the display, flanked by three chevrons on the sides. She tensed up for a moment and then pushed a red button on the side of the watch. Receiving her acknowledgment, the device went silent and the display returned to normal.

"Class dismissed." she said to the assembly as she moved to disconnect the cables form her white laptop on the desk and close the lid. "We will continue tomorrow."

And with that she rushed out of the room with the laptop under her arm, leaving her audience dumbfounded. As she made her way through the halls and to the main entrance, she noticed a small crowd had gathered in front of a large flat screen mounted on a wall. Glancing at it, she inhaled sharply.

The sound was muted, but the image itself told her everything she needed to know. A great city across the ocean was engulfed in flames, one of its landmarks brought low. Scrolling across the bottom of the screen she saw words that confirmed her apprehension.

"NOVA VINEA UNDER ATTACK BY UNIDENTIFIED FORCES"

Prying herself away from the screen, she rushed outside where a blue car seemed to already be waiting for her, hovering in place without wheels of any kind, its front doors decorated with a golden insignia of a trident with clockwork wings. The back door facing the sidewalk opened and she took her place inside.

"Your presence has been requested, Ms. Amelia." the driver said with professional composure.

"I am aware." she replied, looking downcast. "Straight to the Sanctum. No stops. No slowing down."

"Of course, Ms. Amelia."

"And what do I keep telling you?" she scolded, slightly puffing her cheeks, breaking her demure and composed persona. "None of that Ms. or Madam talk. You don't use titles in this family."

The driver cracked the slightest smile in an amused reaction to her remark. It was far too easy to annoy her like this.

* * *

Elsewhere…

In a small, secluded beach on the other side of the island, a tall young man, seemingly just short of the twenty year mark, with a lean but clearly well toned build and a soft, gentle face, was sitting cross legged on the sand by the water, wearing a simple pair of blue swimming shorts. While to the untrained eye he would have looked like a vacationing student or perhaps an idle tourist, the tablet resting on his lap would tell a different story, its screen displaying what looked like a series of meditation exercises and techniques for dealing with anxiety. He remained practically motionless, with both hands on his chest, breathing in the sea air.

As his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a beeping sound, he quickly opened his deep blue eyes and gazed upon the elaborate black watch on his left wrist. Steadying himself, he pushed the red button on the side and darted to his feet. He picked up his backpack, located the nearest shower stall, and was fully dressed in less than two minutes, clad in a white short sleeved shirt, a matching white coat with black interior lining, simple blue jeans and a pair of black modern looking running shoes with white highlights.

He quickly sprinted up the metal stairs leading out of the beach area and soon saw someone waiting for him. A beautiful woman of indeterminate age, perhaps somewhere around the late twenties to early thirties mark, wearing a black business dress with matching stockings and heeled shoes was waiting for him. There was something steely about the glare of her azure eyes, even through the sunglasses on her face, and her smooth features were marred by a frown. Her hair, blue as the ocean below, cascaded down her head all the way to the shoulders, without a single strand out of place.

"What's going on Aunt Levi?" he asked, clearly apprehensive. "We never use this alarm."

"We do now." she replied. "Come, Atreus. There's no time to explain."

She led him to a parked blue hoverbike next to the red brick sidewalk and climbed on it. He took his place in the back and it darted vertically into the air, then shot forward towards the center of the island.

* * *

Meanwhile, a vast distance away…

The two identical men somewhere in their thirties stood side by side on an elevated catwalk, overlooking a large room with white walls where a small crowd of what appeared to be teenagers was standing. Both of them were wearing simple, unassuming white lab coats of a stylish yet practical cut, blue dress trousers and black running shoes that seemed out of place in the ensemble. They both had the same build, lean, elegant, handsome and still in their prime, fit and agile. Both sported the same brown hair, short, somewhat ruffled as if too stubborn to be tamed by a comb for any extended length of time, the same deep brown eyes, glittering with a childlike curiosity for the world and passionate intensity that the years had only served to enhance. Both of them were also wearing wedding rings on their left ring fingers, one a platinum band and the other golden. The only visible difference between them other than the rings was that the one with the platinum ring was wearing a red scarf around his neck while the other was wearing a white one instead.

"And so it begins..." the man with the white scarf said rather solemnly.

"The day we had hoped would never arrive is here." the man with the red scarf added with a nod.

Regardless of how much time they'd had for preparations, a faint hope had remained that the predictions had been wrong, and that the premonition had been nothing more than a fanciful nightmare.

"Dr. Hikari?" a young woman, somewhere between her late teens and early adulthood called out, drawing the attention of the two identical pairs of brown eyes. She seemed uneasy about something, a frown marring her smooth face.

"Yes?" both of them replied in unison.

"Uh..." the young lady muttered, temporarily at a loss for words in her state of unease.

In unison, each of them raised a hand, patting one of her shoulders.

"Relax, Miss Yumi." the man with the red scarf said with a disarming smile.

"Deep breaths." the man with the white scarf added with the exact same smile.

The woman did just that, her chest rising and falling three times before she settled down. Her long brown hair was meticulously combed and her brown eyes were highlighted with a trace of eyeliner, but her white lab coat bore a couple of obvious coffee stains and her purple work trousers were slightly rolled up on the left ankle, suggesting she had tripped on the way there. Her green rubber boots clashed with the care she had put into her head area, suggesting she had just run in from a separate department with no time to change her footwear.

"The class is assembled downstairs, but we're having some hydraulics issues with the hangar doors. Access to hangars G and J is conditioned right now."

Another young woman around the same age as the first, with long black hair and a prominent pair of round glasses, ran into the room, clad in a white lab coat over a pink dress with a matching knee length skirt and shoes. Her build was slim and agile and she carried herself with nearly boundless energy and badly contained trepidation. In fact her blue eyes were practically sparking behind the lenses. Unlike the other girl, she had not bothered with makeup.

"Ms. Bonne, you're going to hurt yourself one of these days if you keep running around the halls like that." the man with the white scarf admonished.

"S-Sorry, Dr. Hikari." she said, lowering her head. "I'll try to be more careful."

"Have they heard the news yet?" the man with the red scarf asked, turning his gaze to the group below.

"Not yet, but it's only a matter of time." the brown haired woman said said with a mournful nod.

"Then I guess it's time we spoke to them." the man with the white scarf concluded.

"Go on ahead." the man with the red scarf said. "We'll be along shortly."

"Good luck out there." the black haired woman said, watching them go with an intense stare.

Lan Hikari, renowned legend, veteran hero with eight global crises under his belt, and acclaimed scientist, felt a familiar trepidation he had almost forgotten since his younger days. Adjusting his red scarf, he sighed.

With a steady pace, he reached for the nearest wall mounted console and, with taps on the touch screen, opened a channel. As if already expecting it, a beautiful woman around his age appeared on the screen, with a soft face decorated by a pair of brown eyes where a burning determination shone and long pink hair cascading down her shoulders, decorated near the top of her head with a large heart-shaped red hairpin. She was clad in a simple yet elegant pink dress, which looked quite flattering on her despite the conservative style. If not for the circumstances, he might have taken the time to make some flattering remark. Even he sometimes struggled to believe how his wife seemed to become even more beautiful with each passing day.

"Is everyone all right over there?" he asked with a frown.

"Mostly scared, as expected." Mayl replied, tense but composed. "And over there?"

"We still have time before they reach our shores." Lan said. "Good thing our brave volunteers were already here when this started. We were about to do the unveiling."

"Are we going ahead with the plan then?" Mayl asked.

Lan nodded.

"Evacuate the school and get everyone here. If what happened last time is any indication, then we don't want people scrambling through the streets on their own."

Mayl nodded in turn.

"Twenty minutes then, at most."

"See you soon then." Lan said, flashing a slight smile despite the circumstances. "Safe trip, honey."

The long years of peace had not made him and Hub lose their edge or their courage, but he couldn't help feeling uneasy about what was coming. Seeing his wife's face, even if just for a few moments and through a screen, was a welcome comfort.

And with that, twins walked to a small platform on the side of the catwalk where the younger woman was already waiting for them, and Lan pushed a button on a small control panel. A metal security net closed up behind them and the platform descended to the bottom level, where they stepped off.

"Ladies and gentlemen..." Lan started. "You are probably wondering why you are all here today."

"You are probably wondering why we have put you through this particular series of training exercises in simulators and with test models." Hub continued. "Why we built these machines in the first place and prepared you to handle them."

"As of today, we've had confirmation of an event that we hoped would never come to pass." Lan continued. "An event... we have been carefully preparing for."

"A long time ago, a wiser man once said this." Hub added. "Two distinct possibilities exist. Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not. Both are equally terrifying."

"Over twenty years ago, the former possibility was decisively discarded when a weapon of immense destruction in the shape of an artificial asteroid deemed our world its next target." Lan added. "And now, once again, we are facing an enemy unknown."

And so it began.

* * *

Cyberworld Immortals, Book II – Of Gods, Men and Machines

* * *

Chapter 1 – Fire From the Sky

In Neo Atlantis...

In the complex above and below ground known as the Sanctum of the Founders, two figures stood with a heavy frown, gazing upon countless monitors. The situation was clear and dire – for the first time in its four decades of history, the nation of Neo Atlantis was under siege, not by another known country or by a rogue faction, but from somewhere else entirely.

Clad in a modest and practical blue suit, which would have looked like protective lab gear if not for the golden embroidery with the golden trident and clockwork wings insignia on the arms and a crest with an open winged red hawk over the left side of the chest, Cadmus Atreides, the Imperative, monitored the situation with concern and composure. His complexion somewhat pale from long hours working indoors, he still maintained a healthy if thin physique even after two decades of intense work as both a researcher and head of state. While a few wrinkles adorned his gentle face here and there, he was still exceedingly well preserved, with his light brown hair cut short, piercing blue eyes that took in their surroundings with surprising intensity and soft but firm hands that flew over the controls with practiced ease.

Next to him, in a matching outfit, only cut in the shape of a functional yet elegant dress decorated with the same crests, stood Ciel, the Affirmative, his research partner for over two decades and constant companion, sharing the burden of leadership while working to keep both the nation and her counterpart from losing their way. Once a petite young prodigy, she had fully blossomed over time, cutting a striking figure with her golden hair, caught in a braid and wrapped around her neck, a soft, gentle face ornamented with blue eyes just as deep as those of her companion and an elegant, slender frame that commanded attention and respect. As she handled her share of the controls, adjusting tactical displays, her brow furrowed, betraying her intense concentration. If anything, the years had only served to sharpen her focus, just as they had heightened her graceful beauty.

"Their numbers are considerable..." he said with a deepening frown.

"Still within what we expected for this type of scenario though." she added with confidence.

Given the growing instability in certain portions of the world since the Dissolution, they had spent a considerable amount of time racking their brains and drafting plans should the unthinkable take place. Now their preparations would be put to the test.

Their frenzied activity was interrupted by a loud, deep rumbling sound, and an alarm siren reverberated across the chamber. Ciel quickly turned her attention to one of the displays.

"What's this?" she pondered as Cadmus turned his attention to it as well.

"This was not part of the plan… What are they thinking?!" he protested with a hint of annoyance.

On the display they saw a large white form, pounding into an even larger flat metallic surface with both fists.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Ciel protested in turn, glaring at the screen. "Are you trying to tear the hangar apart?!"

"Open this door woman!" an otherworldly voice roared, not through the communications system, but directly into their minds. "We have no time to sit around!"

Ciel clenched her teeth and shook her fist at the display.

"If you wanted to get out so badly, you could have just asked instead of trying to tear the door down!" she snapped back. "But when you get back, we'll to need to have another conversation about your manners!"

And with that, she pushed a button on the large keyboard she was handling, and the surface blocking the large form slowly parted. There was a blur of motion, and the camera was knocked offline.

In the network of tunnels running underground and underwater from the Sanctum of the Founders to the adjoining areas, there was a large, ominous rumbling. Moments later, half a kilometer off the coast, in an area previously declared off limits to ships, a colossal plume of water surged upwards.

"This moves our timetable forward somewhat..." Cadmus said. "But it was to be expected. Let's not wait around. Time to deploy the Pantheon."

* * *

Elsewhere…

Atreus could barely see the menacing silhouettes in the sky, but he could already feel a palpable sense of dread. His mind was flooded with questions, but he steadied himself and focused on maintaining his grip as his escort did her best to get them to their destination in time. He had no idea what was going on, but he trusted his Aunt Levi like a second mother and he knew that if she was hiding something from him, it was for a very good reason.

As they drew closer to the Sanctum, some of the menacing shapes descended from the sky. To his perplexity, he realized that they looked like a combination of aircraft – or perhaps spacecraft – in configurations not too different from fighters and bombers... and humanoid robots. They all followed the same aesthetic, clearly made of some kind of gray-bluish metal, focused on function over form, and frankly ugly, with blocky bodies and heavily armed. While the craft appeared to have the typical gun ports, the robots were also carrying ranged weapons suitable to their size and shape, in forms reminiscent of rifles and grenade launchers.

As some of the robots turned their attention to the speeding hoverbike, a flash lit up the sky, much like lightning, and out of nowhere, a huge beam of golden energy surged through, obliterating them without a trace.

"What the hell is that?" he muttered, though at that height and speed not even his companion should be able to hear him.

For her part, she stopped, hovering in mid-air, staring at the form that suddenly appeared before them.

Atreus found himself face to face with a colossal shape, easily five or six times the size of the robots that had just been obliterated. It hovered in the air, perfectly motionless, without any visible propulsion systems. Its form was clearly humanoid, evoking the appearance of an armored knight of old, but sleeker in design, powerful but slender, with its surface covered in some kind of shining, white metallic substance. Its elegant but powerfully built hands were each ornamented by a large golden orb at the back, while a larger one was prominently on display at the center of the chest. Its most unsettling features, however, were the headdress, comprised of five golden spikes in a shape reminiscent of wings, ornamenting the temples and the top of the head, and the face, clearly mechanical but still with piercing intensity even with no visible mouth, staring at him with golden eyes.

There was something about the entire thing, a presence both majestic and ominous, but Atreus found himself at a loss for words to describe it.

As the fighters and bombers tried to move in to engage, the construct fired two smaller golden beams from its eyes, which set them ablaze with ludicrous ease.

"At last..." an otherworldly voice said, speaking directly to his mind.

Atreus realized that this powerful presence was addressing him from within the construct, projecting an almost palpable force simply by being there, but still maintained his composure and stared right back.

"Who or what are you?" he asked, somewhat defiantly. The way the thing stared at him was rather unnerving, but he would stand his ground.

"A question for another time." the being replied, rather dismissively. "For now, I believe we have some filth to drive from your ancestral home."

"We?" Atreus asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Of course." the voice said with a hint of annoyance, as if stating the obvious. "While I am more than capable of fighting on my own, plans have been in place for our partnership for a very long time."

The construct extended its open hand, firmly but carefully grabbing the hoverbike from below.

"This filth will not wait the rest of the day for you to make up your mind." the presence insisted. "You will have your answers later, but for now… I believe the expression was 'come with me if you want to live.'"

Atreus pondered his options. This invasion would definitely put a damper on any plans of flying around, and he didn't want his Aunt Levi to end up shot down trying to get him to his destination. He definitely knew she was tough, but had no desire to let her test her piloting skills against that level of opposition.

As if sensing his hesitation, she smiled, turned to him and ruffled his hair.

"We've been planning this surprise for a long time." she said with a confident smile. "We've trained you for it, and we know you have what it takes to handle it. I'll go make sure your sister is safe."

Then her expression changed, and she grinned at him in an almost predatory way.

"Go ahead and end them. Make us all proud."

Atreus nodded and, after giving her a quick hug, got off the hoverbike and started trying to run up the length of the construct's arm. He was abruptly stopped as the construct released the hoverbike and picked him up with its other hand. A sound much like laughter filled his mind.

"Eager, I see." the voice said with amusement. "But I would rather you not take any stupid risks at this height."

With that, the construct brought him closer to its face. In a flash of light, his surroundings shifted, and he found himself in a surprisingly ample chamber. From there, he had a magnificent view, as if standing at the top of a lookout tower, only without the unpleasant chill typical of those heights.

"Time to lay out some ground rules." a second voice said, calmer and gentler than the first. "First of all..."

And suddenly, Atreus felt his backpack slipping off, and as it fell to the floor he found himself sitting on a rather comfortable black chair, much like the ergonomic seats in the flight simulators he had practiced with before. To his surprise, the chair felt as if it had been tailored specifically for his body proportions. The rest of the chamber was slowly shifting as well, going from a vacant circular space to something else.

"Comfortable?" the second voice asked.

"Well, yes. Thank you, I suppose." Atreus replied, somewhat confused.

"Well then. I will keep this simple. This construct is called the Apotheosis, and with it we will shape the future of this orb. Its form will grow, shaped by what you are. Its true power will become apparent as you show your ability to handle it. For now, here is your first lesson. Will is power. Will becomes motion and motion becomes action. Don't lose your head and you will be fine."

"And now, let us break this filth and drive it before us!" the first voice proclaimed with glee. "They taint this land with their presence!"

It was surprisingly simple, Atreus found, to control the strange construct. Its presence all around him soon felt as it if was watching him from the back of his mind, and the massive thing reacted like an extension of his body. He could not see any electronics or other obvious control systems, but as he settled on the chair, the familiar shapes of displays, communications arrays and other devices materialized, as if the entire cockpit were adapting to a form he was comfortable with. He had no idea if the thing he was currently controlling was even a machine at all or something else entirely, but he was sure of two things – he was in control, and more enemies were heading his way. The thrill of feeling himself flying through the air definitely overshadowed anything the simulators could have given him, but he had no time to revel in it.

He willed it, and the construct's entire body shifted, as his own would have. It spun around in the air and charged at another humanoid robot with a raised fist, which smashed through its head. The machine fell lifeless and he could see a cockpit ejecting, darting away on thrusters.

Those things were attacking his homeland, firing indiscriminately at the buildings and trying to take potshots at the few people still out on the streets. Feeling a seething rage washing over him, Atreus kicked the discarded robot aside and grabbed his fleeing adversary's escape pod.

"Coward!" he growled. "Not so fun to be on the receiving end, is it?"

His anger took a more concrete form as the construct reacted to his emotional state and its hand started glowing with an angry golden light.

Anger rose like bile to his throat, and between that and the tremendous power he felt at his command he had to restrain himself from crushing the cockpit like a walnut.

"Why do you hesitate?" the angry presence asked, seemingly befuddled.

"A life is a life." he said pointedly, with a bitter scowl. "Whoever these bastards are, I will not disgrace myself or my family name by becoming like them."

With that, he brought the escape pod up to the construct's eye level and growled.

"I know you can hear me, so listen well." he said, willing the Apotheosis to project his voice like it had done to its own when addressing him. "Surrender or leave. If you take up arms against my people again, there will be no mercy next time."

With that, he darted through the sky, still marveling at the sudden lightness and speed, and unceremoniously dumped the cockpit on a deserted beach.

* * *

Moments later, at the Sanctum…

The blue hovercar parked in front of the entrance, next to a large statue of several gathered figures pointing skyward that decorated the front yard.

Amelia quickly stepped outside, followed closely by her driver. As he moved alongside her, his black tailored suit glistened under the sun, and his mirrored shades concealed most of his facial features, though the slender frame and short black hair were still visible. Seemingly unbothered by the late morning heat, he did not waste time removing or unbuttoning his coat, instead keeping pace with his charge's hurried steps towards the tempered glass doorway at the front of the building.

As she moved, the biometric sensors automatically opened every door in her path. She strode past the reception, returning the salutes from the uniformed guards without breaking stride, and made her way to the main elevator. Her escort pushed the button to open the door and as soon as the doors opened she stepped inside and placed her hand on a sensor pad next to the floor selection panel. The doors quickly shut behind the two and the elevator darted down several floors until it reached the inner sanctum. Rushing out the door, she ran down the corridor until she reached the control room. The Imperative and Affirmative turned around just in time to see her enter, and she wasted no time pulling both into a hug.

"Glad you could make it safely." Ciel said, returning the hug. "We were worried about you."

"I'm in good hands." Amelia said with a smile. She then frowned and looked around. "But wait… Where's Atreus?"

"There were some… complications." Cadmus said, returning the hug as well before stepping back and motioning at the screens.

"What's all this?" Amelia asked, quirking an eyebrow as she saw what was on display.

"You've seen the schematics and some of the preparations." Ciel explained. "Of course we made some adjustments to the original design. We hoped never to have to deploy them, but before this is over we'll be glad to have them."

"Behold..." Cadmus said with a sweep of his arm. "The defenders of our homeland for a new age. The Pantheon."

On the screens Amelia could see countless humanoid robots the size of buildings, all of them with sleek, blue armored frames with white highlights and large circular visors with a red glow that gave them a rather cyclopean appearance, bearing various armaments and modular attachments. Some were equipped for land combat, while others clearly for naval and aerial engagements. Other displays showed several hangars from which they were deploying, as well as readouts of their numbers and positions.

"My parents named me after a mythical figure who, among other feats, sprouted an entire army out of the ground." Cadmus remarked with bitter irony. "Regrettably fitting that I would get to pull off something like this in my lifetime."

"We had two decades to prepare for this eventuality." Ciel said. "Our technology is still ahead of most of the world by at least ten to fifteen years, and we will need every advantage we can get in the times to come."

"I saw the news on the way here..." Amelia said with a sad expression. "What's going on? Who's doing this?"

"As far as we can tell, most of the world is under attack right now." Cadmus said. "We still don't know who or why. Evidence suggests they came from… out there. All we know with complete certainty is that the onslaught is brutal and indiscriminate. Military, civilian, it doesn't seem to matter to them. Everything is a target."

"Not another Day of Sigma..." Amelia lamented.

"Not exactly." Ciel pointed out. "We are still in control of all our systems and communications have not been compromised, at least not in our sphere of influence. The world has learned from that painful lesson… but things are still dire."

"And where is Atreus?" Amelia insisted.

"About that..." Cadmus explained. "We had planned to bring both of you here so you could wield the greatest weapon in our arsenal together, but… the thing has a will of its own. It intercepted your brother on his way here and is already engaging the enemy."

Cadmus brought up another display window and moved it to the main screen.

"What is that thing?" Amelia asked with a gasp.

While elegant in design, it radiated an aura of menace that left her rather uncomfortable.

"It will take a long time to explain everything, and we would like both of you to be present." Ciel replied, looking somewhat frustrated about the whole situation. "For now, we can tell you that it's called the Apotheosis, and we're still not sure of its full set of capabilities even after testing it for years."

"My parents built a giant robot in our basement..." Amelia muttered incredulously.

"We have something else you can use in the meantime." Cadmus said. "It's not quite what we've planned, but the other machine will do for now. Take the elevator to hangar 3."

"Not hangar 2?" Amelia mused. "What's in that one anyway? You never let anyone in there."

Cadmus stiffened up, looking rather uncomfortable, but did not elaborate.

"We'll talk about that later. For now, get on board the Hoplon and help coordinate the Pantheon forces. We need to secure the island before we can get your brother back here."

"Just like that?" she protested. "I was never properly trained in its operation."

"You do, however, have extensive general training." Ciel pointed out. "Part of the education plan we drafted for you and your brother included universal vehicle piloting. If it moves, you can control it."

"That's true, but I don't have any practical experience with… giant robots." Amelia protested. "I thought including those in the simulators was just you two making a nerd joke or throwing in something different for variety's sake."

"We definitely had our fun with that." Cadmus reminisced with a smile. "But no, we were preparing for the future. We would go in there ourselves, but we have to coordinate the rest of the effort from here and figure out where exactly your brother ended up. But make no mistake. We would not ask this of you if we did not think you were up to the task."

"Admittedly, we could have told you in advance what exactly we were preparing you for..." Ciel conceded. "But we hoped it would never actually happen. That you and your brother would be able to live normal lives, or as normal as possible in these strange times… which just got even stranger."

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked, rather confused. "You knew something like this was going to happen?"

"We had some warnings..." Ciel said. "But they were vague. We mostly knew that there was a great threat, that conventional weapons would not be enough and that we would all be sorely tested. We never knew what exactly was coming, or when."

"Still, both of you have the skill and the potential to stand up to this menace." Cadmus said reassuringly. "All you need is experience that you could not have gained just from the simulators."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence then." Amelia said, feeling somewhat less apprehensive about the prospect.

"Don't worry. We made the interface as easy to use as possible." Cadmus said. "It also has the best shielding technology we could cobble together. You'll be safe. Trust us."

Amelia nodded, understanding there was no time to argue in the middle of an emergency situation.

"Fine. Just watch me." she said with a smile. "I'll make both of you proud."

"You already have dear." Ciel said, smiling back and giving her a quick hug. "Every single day. Now go. Give them a thorough trashing."

After a short elevator ride, Amelia found herself in a long corridor, flanked by large, sturdy doors that appeared strong enough to withstand a bomb, each of them marked with a number. To her left were the even numbered ones, and to her right the odd ones.

Quickly moving to hangar 3's door, she pressed the palm of her hand against a panel and the biometric lock disengaged, opening a small passage in the larger door.

Inside she found a large humanoid robot with a silvery coat of paint, very similar to the Pantheon models, only clearly of a sturdier build, with additional plating and utility parts and with a double visor. True to its name, a large round shield was attached to its left forearm while its right hand clutched a long spear. Both armaments appeared to be made from a different metal than the plating, one she did not recognize. A large engine, which her trained eyes recognized as an antigravity unit, was attached to the construct's back like a backpack.

Amelia rode the platform to the hatch in the back of the robot's head and smoothly slid into an ample cockpit. Another biometric lock recognized her and with a low hum the other systems went online, sealing the hatch behind her just as she strapped herself to the chair. Various screens lit up, displaying various internal readouts and tactical data, which her keen mind was quickly able to become accustomed to.

* * *

Meanwhile, a few floors up…

"While I do not doubt the young lady's tenacity..." Amelia's escort said. "I would rather not let her sortie alone."

"I knew you would say that." Cadmus said with a knowing smile. "After all, your loyalty and dedication have been a comfort all these years. You don't need to ask for permission, but we know you like these formalities."

With a grin, Ciel continued.

"Which is why not only you, but all the Four Guardians hereby have green light to deploy your units. Drive out these invaders, Phantom."

Now it was Phantom's turn to grin. Perhaps he had been spending too much time with his hotheaded brother and sister, or perhaps it was simply another part of learning how to become more human, but he relished the chance to engage a tangible enemy that might put up an actual fight after two decades of relative peace. The fact that he would finally get to test new hardware, tailor made for him, definitely helped.

"By your command." he said flatly, though the look on his eyes told a different story.

As Phantom dashed out of the chamber, the Imperative and the Affirmative turned their attention to the largest monitor at the center of the array. A world map appeared on the screen, with their location prominently marked with the hawk and swan crest, while another location, on the other side of the world, was marked with another insignia, in the shape of a red circle, diagonally bisected by a black line with a triangle facing inward at each end. Before their eyes, the image started being updated with real time data on troop movements and enemy numbers, pulled both from local sensors and satellites spread over orbit.

A handful of minutes later, four familiar voices were heard through the communications system, and the display was updated once again.

"Great Phantom, launching." Phantom reported.

"Great Leviathan, launching." Levi – or rather the former Agent Fairy's voice chimed in.

"Great Fafnir, ready to shoot these bastards!" a fiery man's voice added with a hint of juvenile irreverence.

"Great Harpuia, taking flight." another male voice, calm and composed added.

From an underground hangar not far from the Sanctum, a black humanoid machine emerged, closely followed by a bulkier red one, armed with a prominent pair of shoulder mounted cannons. Meanwhile, a slimmer one, painted green and white, flew overhead, already reaching speeds close to Mach 2. Meanwhile, out in the ocean by the shore, not too far from where the Apotheosis had emerged, the prongs of a golden trident with a futuristic design emerged from the water, followed by the blue hand wielding it.

"Proceeding to rendezvous with the Hoplon." Phantom informed.

"Engaging the opposition in the eastern sector." Fairy reported. "I will deal with these fools and then we can track down the Apotheosis."

"Go nuts!" Fighter interjected. "I don't need a Pantheon squad to deal with these clowns."

"Providing air support and target identification." Sage reported. Engaging in 5… 4..."

"Stay safe out there." Cadmus said to himself.

"They're stronger than you think." a third voice, also male, said from within the chamber.

"You're right." Ciel said with a nod. "But they're not doing this alone."

"We'll handle this hemisphere." Cadmus said pensively as as he stared at the display. "Good luck on your end… Robot Masters."


	2. The Robot Masters

Chapter 2 – The Robot Masters

"_I still wish there had been another way…" _Lan thought._"But since there isn't, all that's left to do is go all in. Balls to the wall. No more thinking about what should have been. These kids are my responsibility, and I'll make damn sure they all make it through this."_

Hikari Laboratory, in the Far East…

After the Dissolution, Lan and Hub Hikari, decorated heroes of the Day of Sigma and previous crises, had hoped to dedicate their lives to the pursuit of science and family life in a world at peace. However, other events in later years had forced their hand.

The twins were and had always been men of action, even as children, and they knew the best way to deal with unease was to do something about it. Such had been their devotion to the cause that they had created their own independent research institute where they could work at their own pace and without being forced to contend with bureaucrats and bean counters, leaving their father and Dr. Regal in charge of SciLab. Though they hoped to return one day to what was effectively a second home to them, they had their hands full.

Now, they stood watch as the first fruits of their labors were about to be unveiled.

"Ladies and gentlemen..." Hub said solemnly. "We chose you based not only on the bonds we share, but also your talents… and most importantly your character and potential."

"This invasion must be answered." Lan continued. "You have the skills and the will... and now you have the tools."

They were interrupted by two large, powerfully built men making a late entrance from a back door and quickly sprinting into the room, both wearing identical suits and sunglasses. The twins grinned at the sight.

One of them, with a clean shaved head, removed his sunglasses and folded them, placing them in his coat's breast pocket with massive, calloused hands that showed a surprising amount of care. The white suit looked somewhat gaudy, ornamented with yellow and red geometric patterns, but was complemented by the intense stare in the man's dark eyes. His tanned skin spoke of long hours spent outdoors, and he had clearly been taking care of his physical shape, as his muscles barely seemed to fit in the confines of the suit.

"I hope you weren't planning on starting without us!" he said with a spark in his brown eyes and a grin, which was mirrored by his companion. While some of their features were similar, with muscled builds and wide, round faces with surprisingly small noses by comparison, his companion had a full head of hair and a short black goatee, ornamenting a more pronounced jawline.

"We wouldn't dream of it, Mr. Mayor." Lan quipped as he stepped down from his platform.

The first man's grin only widened.

"Do me a favor bro." the massive man said, cracking his knuckles and sporting a massive grin. "Today, forget about mayors, and about Dekao Oyama."

With a swift motion, he removed his coat, revealing a green shirt ornamented with a peculiar symbol over the chest – a circular emblem with a green cross over a black background.

"Today, old Dex is back in action!"

"It's been a while since I saw you wearing that..." Hub remarked.

"It does bring me back." Lan added with a fond smile.

"Hey! Wait for me you jerks!" another male voice interrupted, sounding a few years younger than the pair.

A younger man strongly resembling the other two in both eyes and facial features ran into the room wearing a yellow training suit and matching running shoes. While lighter in build compared to the others, he definitely looked just as fit.

"I'm not sitting this one out." he said with determination, staring at the twins.

"Glad you could make it too, Chisao." Lan said with a smile.

"University can wait." Chisao said. "This is more important."

"And with this, Team Guts is back together!" the second man said, finally breaking his silence and mirroring his companion's grin as he too took off his coat, revealing an identical shirt to Dex's and an odd choice of cloth armband on his left arm, white and decorated with an insignia shaped like a flaming red skull wearing a bizarre pair of pointy sunglasses.

"Exit Tetsuo Oyama…" he said triumphantly. "Enter… GutsMan!"

After the Dissolution and the events that followed, Dex had hung up his PET and dedicated himself to martial arts under Ryu's tutelage. However, instead of abandoning his old partner GutsMan, he had instead obtained a modified Copy Bot for him, allowing the Navi to experience life as a second brother. After making a name for himself in international tournaments, Dex had decided to complete his studies, surprising almost everyone with his choice of pursuing mechanical engineering. Years later, he had run for the mayor's office, earning a considerable amount of fans due to his honesty and hands on approach, but never losing his love for combative sports. There was no way he would have sat out on the twins' project once he'd heard about it. As for Chisao, he was old enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the others, not taking no for an answer.

"Awesome!" a young boy in the group said with a radiant smile. "You won't regret this."

The resemblance to the twins was uncanny, looking almost exactly like a younger version of them with ruffled brown hair, big brown eyes and slender build clad in a blue track suit with with matching running shoes. His face, still bearing much of its childlike roundness, looked absolutely giddy with excitement.

"You've trained long and hard for this, Patch." Lan said with a proud smile as he placed a hand on his son's shoulder. Just be careful and listen to your Uncle Dex when you get out there."

Raito Hikari, 16 years old, also known to his friends as Patch, was Lan's firstborn, a strapping teenage boy whose resemblance to his father in both appearance and attitude turned heads everywhere. Once his father and uncle had revealed the project's existence to him, he knew what exactly he had to do.

"He did have some help." another boy quipped.

He was the same age as the former, and almost identical in appearance, only with green eyes and clad in a black buttoned up school uniform and a set of brown all terrain boots.

Maito Hikari, 16 years old. Hub's firstborn, also known to some as Mega Man Jr. or by the less flattering nickname of Crash. Attesting to how far Copy Bot technology had progressed since the early days of Project Unity, most people were completely unable to tell him apart from organic humans.

The two, close as brothers since the day of their birth, had already made a name of themselves in the local area for various reasons. The fact that Mayl Hikari, Raito's mother, was teaching at their school, however, presented its own unique set of challenges.

"That, I did." Raito said, lightly slapping his cousin's back. "My partner in crime."

That elicited a laugh from the twins.

"It's almost like looking in a mirror, isn't it?" Lan remarked.

"For better and for worse." Hub said, unable to suppress a grin. "May whatever gods are out there have mercy on the world with the two of them on the loose."

"What?!" Maito protested in mock outrage, puffing his cheeks. "It's our turn to be heroes now!"

"I suppose it runs in the family." a girl remarked.

Though she appeared to be the same age, there was an intensity to her stare and deep brown eyes that could intimidate even older people. She cut a striking figure, even at her age, elegantly clad in an ornate and expensive looking red dress with golden embroidery that left her shoulders exposed and wearing a matching pair of designer shoes. Her hair, despite her youth, was silvery, tied in a long braid that was wrapped around her neck, resting on top of a purple scarf. Her hair was noticeably longer in the front as well, covering her forehead.

"Well, this isn't going to be like those novels of yours, Aya." Raito remarked. "The simulators and test models were just a small taste of what's to come."

"Your point being?" she asked with a haughty scoff.

Aya Ayanokoji-Chaud, also 16, eldest daughter of two of Lan and Hub's oldest friends, prominent figures in the business field and companions in their previous adventures.

"My point being that if you want to back down, now is probably your last chance, before things get ugly." Raito insisted. "After today, everything's going to change."

Aya's face briefly contorted into a scowl, but catching herself, she relaxed her expression. It was far too early to give herself wrinkles, she mentally reminded herself.

"My boy, you are not the only one with a family name to live up to." she countered in a rather condescending tone, with the overly formal manners she tended to slip into when unnerved. "Perhaps when you are older you will be able to grasp the concept of noblesse obligé."

"To be fair, nobility is a thing of the past." Maito pointed out. "At least in Japan."

"It is the principle of the thing." Aya said, raising her head with pride. "As part of the elite, those such as myself have a duty towards the common folk. As the future inheritor of a multinational conglomerate and scion of a family widely regarded as pillars of society, I could do no less."

"Yes, we get it already..." a young man intervened in an annoyed tone, rolling his eyes. "I swear, the only things you're missing are that stereotypical high pitched laugh and a paper fan."

His brown hair was not simply ruffled, but wild, standing up as if he had been zapped with electricity. He appeared to be around the same age, skinny and wearing a very thick pair of glasses with square lenses behind which brown eyes surveyed their surroundings. He was the picture of a stereotypical nerd, wearing a white buttoned up shirt, a pair of beige trousers and simple brown shoes, and looking a little out of place next to the others.

"And I swear, your manners are never going to improve, Higure." she retorted with an annoyed scowl.

"I guess all the manners in the family went to my sister." he said with a dismissive shrug, before glaring at her. "What about it Princess?"

Shingo Higure, 16 years old. The son of Yamitaro Higure – also known as Higsby – an entrepreneur with a bizarre past and Mariko Ozono, a schoolteacher whose classes Lan, his wife and Aya's mother had once attended.

"Now now..." a girl, a couple of years younger than him, intervened with a soft voice. "Let's keep things civil, shall we?"

Her facial features were very similar to his, though her hair, also brown, was noticeably smoother and better cared for, tied in a pair of pigtails. A nearly identical pair of eyes peered out through glasses with round lenses. She was wearing an elegant and modest green dress with a matching knee length skirt and a pair of comfortable running shoes, also green.

"Maria, would you kindly talk some sense into your brother?" Aya pleaded. "I don't know how Ms. Mariko ended up raising such an uncouth lout."

"You know..." the boy retorted, sounding even more annoyed. "I have a name. Shingo. You know it. Everybody here knows it. Maybe people would be a little less inclined to snap at you if you weren't always acting like this."

"Oh boy, here we go again..." Maito lamented.

None of them knew whether it was puberty, genetics, clashing personalities or something else, but Aya and Shingo had an uncanny talent for getting on each other's nerves.

"Ah, to be young..." Lan mused from a distance, seeing the parallels in this scene with some from he had lived back in the day.

"What are you talking about?" Hub retorted. "You're not even forty yet and you could easily pass for twenty-five."

"Oh, I'm definitely not washed out yet." Lan said in a hushed tone with a self-assured grin.

"_I'm not about to __leave__ all the work __in their hands __either."_ Lan thought. _"But for now, let them __cut their teeth__. __Grow stronger.__"_

With a sense of pride in his work, Lan recalled just how excited the nearly identical cousins had been when he had given them the first glimpse of what was to come.

* * *

Four months prior…

"This… this is amazing!" Raito said as he gazed upon the towering blue form standing before him. As he took in the details of the armored frame, he noticed the resemblance to some pictures and video recordings of his uncle Hub in his days as a heroic Navi. The machine was painted with the same shade of blue, decorated with the same crest, seeming almost like a gigantic armored version of him.

"And we're going to pilot it..." Maito said, looking like he'd had at least ten birthday parties at the same time. "Screw action figures!"

"We can be heroes too..." Raito said, beaming with pride. That his father and uncle would not only entrust him and Maito with such responsibility but provide them such a machine, of their own design and construction, meant that he would get to prove himself and have an adventure of his own.

"I'm glad you like it." Lan said. "But remember, we're all heading into danger here… and that same danger will come to our doorstep sooner or later. Keep your heads clear, stick together and don't lose your way."

"Not to mention…" Mayl added with a steely glare. "I absolutely forbid any of you from getting killed out there. Got it?"

"Of course Mom." Raito said, rushing over to hug his parents.

"_That said..."_ Lan thought. _"I don't intend to sit in the back much longer… Now that the main units are ready..."_

"What kid doesn't want a giant robot for their birthday?" Lan remarked as he saw his son and nephew's reactions.

"Can it fly?!" Raito asked excitedly.

"Can it go into space?!" Maito asked, positively giddy.

"Does it have a flying cockpit that lands into its head?" Raito asked.

"Does it rise out of a swimming pool?" Maito asked.

"Your mother and aunt vetoed the swimming pool idea." Hub said with a silly grin. "They also said a flying cockpit was impractical and a damned deathtrap, and we were inclined to agree."

"As long as we don't have to wear spandex..." Raito said with a shrug, though he still looked a little disappointed about what the missing features.

"Hey!" Maito scolded. "Don't diss the classics!"

The twins suppressed a laugh at that.

"_To be fair, __we__ did look pretty good in it back then__..."_ Lan thought in amusement.

* * *

Back to the present...

"All right children..." Lan interrupted. "Big and small." he added with a grin as he eyed his old friends.

He then raised his hand and pointed straight up.

"Time to suit up for our test run. Ride forth… Robot Masters!"

"_I was just a year older than them last time something of this scale happened." _Lan recalled. _"I hope I've prepared them well enough for this."_

The youths, along with the Guts brothers, ran into two locker rooms and emerged a few minutes later, clad in synthetic fiber uniforms with two insignia. One emblem, over the chest, was shaped like a red circle crossed by a black line with two black triangular indentations over the line's ends, framed by a golden circle. Another emblem, over the left breast pocket, denoted the specific machine. The nearly identical cousins had their suits marked with a red X over a blue background. Team Guts had the familiar green cross over a black background that Dex and GutsMan had used in their younger days as Net Battlers. Aya bore an insignia shaped like a golden bolt of lightning over a black background. Maria's suit was marked with a stylized silvery prism splitting a beam of light over a blue background. Shingo proudly bore the mark of a green drill, pointed upwards over a gray background. All the uniforms were also color coded according to their respective machines. Raito and Maito were clad in blue, while Aya was wearing a golden yellow, Shingo green, Maria white and the trio of Dex, Guts and Chisao were sporting matching red suits. All of them were also carrying round open helmets matching their respective uniforms under their arms, which they put on before as they exited the locker rooms.

The gathered group ran into an elevator, which led them into an underground hangar. The nearly identical cousins boarded a lean, armored humanoid robot clad in blue, sporting a larger version of the team's insignia in the center of its chest. Its appearance, from the general lines of the suit to the head's sturdy construction evoking a round helmet, was strikingly similar to old pictures they had seen of Hub's past heroics, only more armored and considerably larger and pacing a lot more than simple Battle Chips of old.

"This is going to be awesome!" Raito squealed as they strapped their seat belts, the machine humming to life.

"X-1 is go!" Maito said into the microphone on his helmet, keeping his composure as the onboard computer indicated the pre-launch check was complete.

"Guts online!" Dex shouted excitedly from inside a machine easily twice as large and wide as the X-1, painted red and gold, with oversized limbs almost reminiscent of a gorilla's. Unable to resist, Dex gripped the controls and the machine started pounding its chest.

"Gemini ready!" Maria acknowledged, inside an elegant machine slightly smaller than the X-1 seemingly covered in some sort of white crystalline substance. As it began to move, the crystals lit up with a faint white glow.

"Spark is fired up!" Aya confirmed, inside a slim golden robot some sort of capacitors resembling gemstones arranged along the limbs, a pair of thick golden armlets and a V-shaped pair of chrome spikes over the forehead. Bursts of electricity started arcing between the spikes as the systems came to life.

"Drill… ready to pierce!" Shingo grinned, from a heavily armored green machine with a pair of motorized drills attached to each forearm and an even bigger set over the shoulders, all four of which started spinning as if mirroring the pilot's anticipation. For a brief moment, the skinny bookworm almost seemed to become a little taller, emboldened by the power at his fingertips.

As the robots rose out of the hangar on a swift metal platform, the menacing shapes of alien craft and humanoid weapons appeared on the horizon.

"GO!" Dex roared, taking the lead and firing up the thrusters mounted on the back of his machine as soon as the elevator stopped.

The others quickly followed, not wanting to lag behind.

"Remember your training..." Maria warned.

"We've got this!" Raito replied with a confident grin as the X-1 started humming, energy building up.

Their adversaries soon came into view, seemingly a group of humanoid robots made of some gray-bluish metal with a rather unappealing, blocky, mass produced design. They armed mostly with rifles, though some models also seemed to carry some sort of rocket launchers on their backs. A dozen or so spherical flying drones accompanied them from a distance, flying above or behind them. Some sort of fighter craft equivalent, six in total, were following the squadron's, though they could not see the cockpit or the weapon emplacements.

"Targeting computers ready." Lan said over the intercom. "We have confirmation that some of the units are manned, so no hitting cockpits, guys."

"Don't worry." a familiar Navi said as its face with a bulbous black head covered in flashing lights and large yellow eyes appeared on all the screens. "I'll make any corrections to the program on the fly."

"We're counting on you NumberMan." Maria said with an appreciative nod.

While many Navis had chosen to move into Copy Bots and take permanent or semi-permanent residence in the physical world alongside their operators, there were others who still kept mostly to the Cyberworld for a variety of reasons. Aside from his frequent work as an accountant, helping his partner Higsby in managing his Battle Chip shop, NumberMan had never taken fully to the physical world, simply because large crowds and the background noise they generated tended to make him nervous.

"Drill Missile!" Shingo shouted, somewhat more enthusiastically as the dream of many young and not-so-young boys became his reality.

"Spark Shock!" Aya cried out somewhat hesitantly, feeling a little ridiculous but still getting caught in the moment as well.

A flash of electricity from the left and a large flying drill from the right shot through the air, making short work of two drones and three humanoid robots at the alien vanguard. The drones simply exploded into a shower of debris, while the robots shut down in a flurry of sparks and fell motionless before the drill tore through them. The fighter craft analogues, considerably more nimble, were able to avoid the initial onslaught, rolling out of the way.

"Looks like those two can't wait to get started." Chisao remarked.

Indeed, Aya and Shingo appeared to momentarily forget their quarrel, having found something else to direct their attention to.

"Why are they calling out their attacks anyway?" Maria asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Ah, lil' miss..." Dex said with a laugh. "It's tradition."

"You'll get used to it." Raito said.

"_It's a little pointless and I'm not even sure if these things can understand us, but fine..."_ she thought, focusing on the task at hand.

"Here we go..." Maria timidly said as a red beam of light shot out of the jewel on her machine's forehead, striking a humanoid robot dead on and melting a small hole through its plating before discharging its remaining energy inside.

"Eep!" she yelped.

"Don't worry, that one was unmanned." NumberMan said. "It looks like about half of them are, for some reason."

The cousins rushed forward in the X-1, testing the waters. The machine's right hand transformed into a Buster resembling a larger version of the one Hub had used in his days fighting in the Cyberworld and let out a quick burst of what looked like some sort of golden energy pellets. Two drones exploded on impact while one of the humanoid robots was clearly damaged, with its left arm nearly popping out of its socket as the shoulder joints were destroyed, but still operational for the most part.

Some sort of secondary system was still accumulating energy for the Buster, but before they could see what it was doing with it they were forced to roll out of the way of a barrage of retaliation fire from the damaged machine's rifle. A stream of blue projectiles erupted erratically from the rifle, melting small craters in the face of the buildings and the sidewalks behind and below the X-1.

With a tremendous leap, the Guts brothers crossed the distance, finished off the X-1's target with a straight punch to the head and started pummeling a second enemy robot. Then, after thoroughly pounding it, the Guts Machine grabbed it by the ankles and used it as a club to beat two others with a wide swing. A fifth robot seemingly flinched and tried to run away, only for them to hurl the improvised club at it. A sixth edged closer, rifle raised, only for the Guts Machine to raise its oversized right fist.

The three brothers grinned simultaneously.

"I've been waitin' for this!" Dex shouted, momentarily forgetting the formal mannerisms of public office as he punched a prominent red button on his display. For a moment, it was as if he had become a rowdy teenager once again, getting fired up about a Net Battle or the TV shows he had always been so fond of.

"Ready." Chisao said.

The Guts Machine raised its right fist, pointing it forward, and held the arm in place with its left hand.

"ROCKET PUNCH!" the three roared together.

The fist detached from the arm and, propelled by some sort of built in thrusters, rammed into the rifle toting robot, knocking it flying in a dozen different pieces. Seizing the momentum, the others pressed the attack as well.

The Gemini Machine moved into position, and soon the timid schoolgirl in the cockpit felt herself getting caught in the mood, despite her earlier confusion.

"G-Gemini Beam!" Maria hesitantly cried out as her robot joined its hands together and a wide beam of white energy struck three enemy robots that were clustered together too closely, frying the electronics and causing the machines to fall over in a crumpled heap.

"Spark Shock!" Aya added her voice as two more robots and two fighter craft crashed down under an onslaught of electricity. One of the humanoid machines she struck happened to be carrying a rocket launcher equivalent and the burst of electricity detonated its ammunition. She winced at the explosion, feeling a brief chill, but soon regained her composure and pressed the attack.

Meanwhile, the fighter craft and remaining drones shifted from evasion to offense, swarming in with almost unnatural coordination.

"Confirmed." NumberMan said. "Those aren't manned. No need to hold back on them."

"H-Here goes nothing." Maria said, clenching her teeth. "Prism Burst!"

The crystals on the surface of her machine started glowing red. As the targeting computer finished its calculations, a flurry of crimson beams burst forth, striking the remaining unmanned constructs with pinpoint accuracy. The beams tore through the targets, sending them tumbling into the ground.

"_It's scary how good we turned out to be at designing and building weapons..." _Lan thought as he watched through the monitors.

Next to him, as if sensing his thoughts, Hub placed a hand on his back.

"No more second thoughts, right?" he whispered.

"Too late for that." Lan said with a nod.

The remaining alien machines tried to put up a fight, but were clearly outmatched. One of them raised its rifle and took aim at the Guts Machine, only to find that the stream of blue energy projectiles it fired did very little apart from scorching the paint on the points of impact. In a panic, the pilot ejected, discarding the machine as the cockpit detached itself and flew away on some sort of jet thrusters.

"Remember kids, no shooting cockpits." Dex said with a hint of annoyance.

He then turned to the fleeing enemy and shook a fist at it.

"You'd better not show your face here again asshole!"

"Yo Lan!" Dex called out. "Just what are these made of anyway?"

"Just a little something we like to call Titanium X." Lan said over the radio.

"_You're not going to believe where and how we got it, though..."_ he thought with a grin.

"I guess calling it something else would have risked some lawsuits." Dex conceded with a chuckle. "Close enough."

"_Not like Yai couldn't have just bought the company that owns the rights and let us use the name anyway." _Lan thought with a grin.

"They had numbers on their side, but their weapons didn't look like anything to write home about." Raito pointed out.

"Still, don't get careless." Lan warned. "This was likely just a scouting force. The worst is yet to come."

As a formation of Pacific Coalition fighter jets flew overhead, their pilots were befuddled by the sight of the battlefield and the strange machines standing triumphantly over their vanquished enemies.

"You're late." Raito said through the radio, trying not to sound too smug.

He had to admit that it felt good to finally get to actually pilot the X-1 instead of just doing simulator training. The fact that his first battle had been a complete victory was also a nice boost to his confidence.

"What is this?!" the squad leader called out. "Who are you?"

"We are..." Raito replied, pausing for dramatic effect.

"The Robot Masters!" Maito finished, almost as if they had rehearsed it beforehand, as the X-1 struck a pose, raising its right fist.

"_Nice timing cousin."_ Raito thought with a grin.

"All right everyone." Lan said, beaming with pride. "The military will probably want to capture the enemy pilots and what's left of their machines."

"Even though it's your first real battle, your teamwork is on point." Hub said. "It looks like you managed to conduct the whole thing with admirable restraint too."

"Ya noticed, did ya?" Dex replied with a chuckle.

"What?!" Aya shouted incredulously. "You were holding back this whole time?"

"So were you." Shingo retorted, rolling his eyes. "After all, we're still learning the ropes and don't know how much damage we can actually do."

"Some of us have been gettin' martial arts training for many years." Dex said. "First rule is learnin' to control yer own strength."

"Collateral damage is an important consideration." NumberMan chimed in. "One often overlooked in that material you're so fond of."

"That said, some of them will probably be spending some time in the hospital." Chisao said. "Serves 'em right."

"Make no mistake." Lan said. "The plan is to beat them back… and it could very well come to a point where we'll have to kill someone. But..."

"Dead men tell no tales, kids." Dex said, his expression suddenly turning stone cold. "We need 'em alive so we can figure out what the hell is goin' on. Besides, if it comes down to it, we'd rather keep your hands clean."

"So you're saying to leave any actual killing to you..." Maito said, the reality of the situation slowly sinking in. "Is that why our Dad and Uncle got you into this?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Dex said with a scowl. "We're not here to be yer babysitters. We're here to be yer coaches. But you can be damn sure we'll slam the brakes if things start goin' too far."

"Ya got guts, kids." Tetsuo, or rather GutsMan, added. "But you're not ready for the weight of takin' lives… and even if ya were, we wouldn't want ya to carry it."

"We didn't make the decision to recruit you all lightly." Lan said with a sigh. "Unfortunately, we can't do everything ourselves."

"But for now, remember this." Hub added. "The eyes of the world will soon be upon you all. Humanity already had its share of divisions even before this mess started. All of us will need to set an example for the world."

"That said, for now you've done a great job." Lan said, trying to lighten the mood. "Now come on. We're all waiting for you. We have one last surprise for you for today."

They did as instructed and returned to the base, exiting the hangars just in time to see two of the twins' assistants haul in a cart laden with sweets and sandwiches. One of them, the black haired girl with round glasses, suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Crap! I forgot the camera!" she realized, planting the palm of her hand on her face.

With that, she turned around and broke into a sprint… only to slip and fall. With catlike reflexes, Lan managed to grab her in mid-air.

"Easy there Ms. Bonne." he said.

"Ah!" she cried out in surprise.

"My brother already warned you not to run in the halls so much." he scolded with a concerned frown. "One of these days you're going to break a leg."

"S-Sorry Dr. Hikari." she stuttered. "It won't happen again."

"Slowly now." he said before releasing her. "We're not going anywhere."

She nodded and quickly looked away before walking out of the room. Meanwhile, her brown-haired colleague watched and sighed, shaking her head.

"That girl needs to lay off the coffee..." Maito quietly remarked.

"I don't think the issue here is coffee." the brown-haired assistant quietly said, shaking her head again.

"What do you mean?" Maito asked.

"Never mind..."

* * *

Meanwhile, far away, at a hidden underground facility somewhere in Western Europe…

"Not quite the invasion I was expecting, I'll admit." a man's voice said, rather perplexed. "But it is an invasion nonetheless."

"Shall we proceed with the current plan?" a woman's voice asked.

"For now. But bear in mind that we may need to keep changing or scrapping large portions of it. This is not the enemy I was expecting at all."

"It may take more time, we were already adapting to the changing circumstances." the woman said, with confidence bordering on smugness. "The weapons and technology we have been keeping on standby would stomp the intended targets flat. They may be just what we need to ensure Earth's survival now."

"Yes. Even if we still don't have the resources to implement all of it, the technology will help us deal with this crisis on a more even footing."

"Our real bottleneck is that exotic element you mentioned in the files."

"Yes… across all iterations, we were never able to synthesize that. The resources we have on hand will have to do for now."

"You've been doing this for a very long time, Commander." a second man said. "Longer than any of us. We'll just have to trust your judgement. In the meantime, the intelligence division has finished compiling a dossier on possible additional allies."

"Hold that thought for now." the first man said. "We'll see who to approach after we have finished studying the possible impact on operational security. Revealing our existence too soon to too many parties could invite… additional complications."

"I also think we need at least one real engagement to break in the new equipment." the woman said. "Controlled field tests don't compare to actual combat."

"If you'll allow it, Commander..." the second man said. "I would like to volunteer."

"Very well, Captain." the first man said. "I expect your feedback every step of the way. Every detail. Even random thoughts you think may be useful. But it goes without saying that you are not to get shot down under any circumstances. Come back alive. Do not allow your machine to be destroyed or otherwise lost. Report to me right away once you return."

"I take it you'll want to monitor these engagements personally then?" the woman asked.

"Of course. It is my personal responsibility to see this through from beginning to end." the first man said.

"The monitoring facilities are online across the globe and we have full satellite coverage, though that alloy the invaders use on most of their craft has proven troublesome." the woman said with a hint of frustration before quickly regaining her even tone. "For now though, we do have a list of possible engagement points for your perusal, Commander."

"Very well." the first man said. "Dismissed."

"We are watchful." he then said said, his tone filled with determination. "We are relied upon. The Long War continues… until the final victory."

"Vigilo Confido." the second man said.

"Vigilo Confido." the woman echoed.


	3. The Crusade Begins

Chapter 3 – The Crusade Begins

"Sir… there is only one thing I must ask before going." a male voice said.

"Yes, Captain?" a second male voice asked, as if knowing the question already.

"Is this really necessary?" the first male voice asked, somewhat uncomfortable.

"Ah, you mean the voice activation?"

"Quite, sir."

"I'm afraid the Major is having a little fun at your expense in this case."

"It is tradition." a third male voice said, clearly amused. "Not to mention it provides an added layer of security."

"Is that really the best excuse you could… Fine…" the first man said with a sigh.

He then cleared his throat and cried out.

"CALL! GESPENST!"

"Rider 1 launching." a young woman's voice announced over a loudspeaker. "Final checks for Strike 1 completed. Big Sky cleared for takeoff from Platform 1. Attention, Strike 2. Departure for Stuttgart in ten minutes. Strike 3, stand by."

* * *

Elsewhere...

While the Robot Masters fought on the other side of the world, the forces of Neo Atlantis were going through their own trial by fire.

The Hoplon, Amelia found, was quite swift, dashing on elegantly designed legs across the wide roads of the island as it moved in to engage the incoming invaders. Raising the spear in the robot's right hand, she took a breath to steady herself, then thrust it forward, driving the tip through the head of one of her opponents. She winced, trying not to picture a living being inside taking the blow, but she knew that she could not hesitate. Kicking the impaled robot away, she raised her shield in time to deflect a barrage of small blue energy projectiles.

Once again she was impressed. The shield was light and sturdy in equal measure, effortlessly blocking anything thrown her way provided she was able to react quickly enough. The machine's controls, despite her misgivings, were extremely easy to handle, almost as if they had been built and calibrated just for her.

"_This is definitely not how I thought my day would turn out..."_ she thought before rushing another pair of humanoid machines, slamming them with the shield and knocking them off balance. From what her eyes and the monitors could tell her, there were at least thirty or forty enemy units scattered around the city, so she would need to keep moving.

All the while, she couldn't help recalling the times the Four Guardians had demonstrated their prowess, especially on one particular occasion.

* * *

Nine years after the Day of Sigma…

"Why are we here?" a six-year old Amelia asked, considerably smaller. She was clad in a simple pink dress with matching shoes and a small white robot in the shape of a cat was perched on her shoulder. Next to her, her brother, a year and a half older than her, looked a little bored. Being off from school, he'd put on a white t-shirt and some blue trousers from one of his track suits and had been looking forward to a day of TV and videogames.

"You'll see in just a minute." her Uncle Fighter said with a grin.

They had been taken to the headquarters of Department Thirteen, which at the time she knew the four were running, only to find Fairy and Sage in a training area of some sort, clad in black body gloves while a group of new recruits watched.

"While these days most modern forces use firearms and assorted gadgets..." Phantom said as he stood in front of the crowd. "Melee and unarmed combat are still important areas of expertise. These skills may very well save your lives one day. Now, without further ado..."

Fairy and Sage bowed in a traditional martial artist stance and then each of them produced strange weapons out of concealed pockets. Out of a fold in her wrist area darted a golden metal cylinder, which unfolded into a futuristic looking spear in her hand. Concealed in his wrist area, two golden bands extended, wrapping around his wrists and the back of his hands and then unfolding into a pair of wrist mounted blades.

"What the…!" one of the recruits cried out.

"We will get to the concealed weapons part later." Phantom said, overly formal as usual. "For now, let us give you a demonstration of the prowess level you may reach one day."

"Don't try this at home kids!" Fighter said, looking a little giddy. Much to Amelia's surprise, he was actually carrying a bucket of popcorn.

What happened next definitely caught the attention of the siblings.

The two Agents sparred against each other, with Sage displaying his inhuman speed, while Fairy matched him blow for blow. The wrist blades were unusual weapons, but what truly fascinated Amelia was the spear and its wielder. In those moments, her Aunt Levi – or rather Fairy Leviathan – was pure grace and power, like the crashing of waves in a typhoon. The two continued going at it, their weapons clashing at speeds the human eye struggled to keep up with, while their composed expressions slowly gave way to open grins. It had been far too long since they'd last had the opportunity to do something like that.

After a few more minutes, they finally stopped, bowed to each other again and folded their weapons back into their concealed pockets.

"Do you get it now why you're here?" Fairy asked later after the recruits had headed to their next round of training elsewhere.

"That was..." Amelia said.

"Awesome!" Atreus added.

Fairy looked at the two with a satisfied smirk and patted both their heads.

"Little flatterers. Keep it up and I might just have to teach you a thing or two when you're older."

* * *

Back to the present…

"_She made it look so easy back then..."_ Amelia recalled. _"It's true I never got that far into it, but the basics are definitely helping now."_

Behind her, a few of the blue Pantheon machines marched into the battlefield, surveying their surroundings with their unnerving cyclopean visors which cast a red glare almost like searchlights. She could not understand why her parents had picked such a strange design, but she was grateful for their presence as they raised their arm cannons and started assisting her, pelting the opposition with quick and precise bursts of some sort of golden energy projectiles.

"_Are they even manned at all?"_ she wondered. _"Or just mindless machines?"_

"I really must insist that you refrain from running off on your own." Phantom's voice said through the a private communications link.

Amelia definitely felt more confident to know that he was around.

"Fair enough." she said as she allowed him some time to catch up and then renewed her assault, raising her spear again and running it through the chest of another opponent. "But don't expect me to let you do all the work Uncle."

"By all means..." Phantom replied as his machine came into view, resembling some sort of futuristic ninja in slim black armor with white highlights and a helmet resembling a face with red eyes in a black mask. "Do show me what you can do."

Knowing how attached she was to her brother and how concerned she would be for his safety, Phantom was keenly aware that she would have been incapable of staying put.

"_I knew right away that I could not keep you from the battlefield."_ he thought somberly. _"Even if your parents had not entrusted you with this task, you would have come on your own anyway."_

With practiced ease, he dashed forward, producing a handful of what looked like a futuristic – and much larger – version of the stereotypical kunai. Quickly acquiring his targets, in a single sweeping motion he threw all of them, striking with pinpoint accuracy. Each of them punctured the armor plating of a different enemy machine before releasing a burst of electricity that immobilized them, allowing Amelia and the Pantheon forces to take them out of commission.

"_I can only hope that we get to the boy before he gets carried away..."_ Phantom thought. _"And that he is strong enough to handle that… thing by himself."_

Above him, the Great Harpuia soared. The machine, built in its occupant's image, sported a sleek green design with a slim, agile body. Its head was crowned by a headpiece decorated with a pair of ornaments in the shape of elongated wings running from the side and behind the head. On its back a series of jet turbines were mounted along with an array of rocket thrusters.

With a loud hum, it ignited a pair of purple energy blades mounted on its forearms and rolled through the sky, slicing through the opposition with ludicrous ease. Weaving out of the way of a barrage of small missiles, it crossed its arms over its chest with the hands pointing upward much like the stereotypical image of a pharaoh in a sarcophagus, and then plunged into a dive. With a sudden motion, it swept both arms forward, chopping the three enemy robots responsible before climbing again, faster than the enemy tracking systems could follow.

"_You surprise me..."_ Sage pondered to himself. _"To think that __such soft-hearted__ scholar__s__ would be capable of producing something like this… Is this his influence too, I wonder?"_

* * *

On another part of the island…

"Showtime!" Fighter hissed with a savage grin as a group of enemy robots moved in, flanked by alien fighter craft and some spherical drones. Much like its rider, his machine was humanoid in shape, gifted with mighty limbs easily capable of crushing one of the spherical drones with a single hand. Unlike its rider, however, it towered above some of the smaller buildings, and its thick armor plating would have made a tank look like a sardine can by comparison. A pair of massive cannons were mounted on the machine's shoulders and its arms and torso were lined with compact missile racks concealed under the plating. The entire thing was painted red apart from the white faceplate, which looked like a stylized robotic approximation of Fighter's own face, complete with a pair of red eyes.

Without bothering to make any speeches or poses, he simply reached for his massive cannons, detached them from their shoulder fixtures and started firing, unleashing massive fiery blasts that quickly reduced a number of enemies to slag.

"FUCKERS!" he roared across the open communication channel, his booming voice louder than the cannon blasts.

"Whose bright idea was it to let him watch that?" Cadmus grumbled from the Sanctum control room, planting his fingertips on his forehead. "It's like he starts channeling Super Mecha Death Christ at times like this."

"More importantly, are you sure it was a good idea to let him have those cannons?" another voice asked from out of sight.

"He may look a bit crazy… and the jury is still out on that… but he's more than earned our trust." Cadmus said, closing his eyes for a moment with a shrug. "Let him have his fun. It's been a long time since he last had the chance to cut loose for a bit."

"Still..." Cadmus pondered as he muttered to himself. "If we…"

For a few moments, he stayed with his eyes closed, resting his chin on his hand as he sat on his chair, seemingly lost in thoughts as he clutched a strange sphere in his right hand, fashioned from an odd coppery metal that glittered like fire. After an indistinct length of time with his eyes closed, absently turning the sphere over in his hand, he suddenly felt a light poke on his side.

"You're doing it again..." Ciel remarked with a hint of amusement.

"Ah crap!" he muttered, straightening up and focusing on the task at hand.

* * *

On the north side of the island, a different sort of battle was taking place.

"I was never much of a shooter..." Atreus pondered as he weaved between two drones and shot them down with a single of the larger beams from the construct's wrist. "I need something else… something a little more… immediate."

He furrowed his brow in concentration and looked at the construct's open right hand.

"I need… a sword."

"Of course you do." the harsh voice said.

In a flash of light, a sword materialized in the empty hand, perfectly proportioned to the machine's size.

"How did you…?" Atreus muttered.

"We have already told you." the gentle voice said. "In this space, will is power. We are in this together, and what you need, we will provide."

"Yes..." he muttered as he gripped the handle tightly and inspected its elegant design, with a hilt fashioned from a substance resembling platinum, a large circular gem set into the center of the crossguard, a spherical pommel and a thick white blade twice the length of the construct's arm. "I think this will do nicely."

He then paused for a moment, thinking of something else.

"It will need a name…" he realized. "I'm flying without a tether, like a creature from the skies… as if I had been born to do so… Yes… I shall call you… Celestial Blade."

Despite the strange and dangerous circumstances, he was reminded of something he had read but whose source he was unable to recall at the moment.

"_For once you have tasted of flight, you shall forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you shall always long to return."_

Though his Uncle Sage had taken him out gliding on occasion, only at that moment did he fully grasp the meaning of those words and understand why the former Agent was so fond of hurling himself through the open skies. Soaring under his own power, he felt an exhilaration he was unable to put into words.

Bringing his mind to the immediate present, he continued to pick up speed, barreling through the sky and slicing away at the mindless drones with his new weapon. To his surprise, the blade was terrifyingly sharp, slicing through the flying spheres and the limbs of a few more humanoid constructs like a chef knife at a seven star restaurant.

"_OK, that's more than a little scary. Definitely different from what I started with." _he thought as he recalled the time his father had caught him playing at sword fighting with a broomstick.

Eight years after the Day of Sigma…

"What are you doing there?" Cadmus asked as he stepped into the pantry.

"Every hero needs to be good with swords… right?" a considerably smaller Atreus asked, his head barely reaching his father's waist.

The Imperative gave his six year old son a strange, haunted look, as if staring not at him but at something far away. He stayed motionless for a long time before letting out a deep sigh and taking away the broomstick. There was a strange look in his eyes for a moment, and his expression stiffened.

"If you're sure you want to play with that, then you should learn how to do it without hurting yourself." Cadmus said, adjusting the position of his feet and holding the broomstick diagonally. "Like so."

He then demonstrated a few basic moves.

"We'll set up some targets for you later and get you some protective gear." Cadmus added after finishing the short demonstration, his expression returning to the gentle one his son had always known. "No taking swings at people outside the gym though, you hear me?"

"I didn't know you were a fencer..."

"I'm not." Cadmus said, before putting the broomstick down and showing him the soft palms of his hands, devoid of callouses. "I've never held an actual sword before. My weapons are my mind and heart."

"Where did you learn to do that then?"

"An old friend passed a little bit of his skills to me." he said with an enigmatic smile.

Back to the present...

"How do I put this thing away?" Atreus asked. "Just to avoid any accidents when I'm not using it."

"Just will it." the harsh voice said, sounding a little irritated at the repetition.

He tried just that, and the blade disappeared in another flash of light.

"Where does it go anyway?" he asked as he practiced firing the eye beams at a fighter model, clipping the wings.

"Best not to think too much about that." the gentle voice said, sounding rather amused by all the questions.

"Wait..." Atreus said, suddenly stopping as he spotted a larger humanoid machine of a more elaborate design, escorted by a few of the regular models and some drones. It definitely had thicker armor plating than the others and bigger guns, which suggested it was some sort of command unit. It was still, however, ugly as sin.

"This is a surprise..." a male voice said through the radio with a strange accent and rather mechanical pronunciation, which was still able to convey a dose of arrogant disdain. "I did not expect to find a machine of this technological level on such a backwards planet."

"And who are you supposed to be?" Atreus asked. "How do you speak my language anyway?"

"Universal translator." the voice said, sounding rather bored. "Not that there's much point in speaking to gnats. Who are YOU supposed to be anyway?"

"You do not know me, but you will now." Atreus said, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

The Apotheosis raised its open right hand and the sword materialized in it.

"A sword?" the enemy officer remarked with smug amusement. "How quaint."

His smug expression soon faded as the already considerably sized weapon started glowing with a strange golden light.

"_The fiends must be driven back..." _Atreus thought. Reacting to his will, the construct and the sword obliged.

The crossguard split open and the blade somehow grew in size before his eyes, reaching into the sky until its length became frankly ludicrous. A series of strange symbols, glowing with the same golden light, started appearing on the blade, as if engraved by an unseen hand, in a language Atreus could not recognize.

"I am Atreus Atreides." the scion proclaimed, getting fired up. "And this… this is the sword that will cleave your filth."

Atreus felt a strange momentary bout of dizziness as he finished uttering those last words.

"_What was that?"_

The sensation soon passed, and he assumed that maybe he had simply used too much energy or fatigue was starting to catch up with him. After all, he had never tried doing something like this before, ludicrous and exhilarating in equal measure, nor had he ever thought he would find himself in such a situation.

Shrugging it off, he let out a roar and charged at his foe, streaking through the sky. The lesser machines tried to dodge, and a few managed to get out of the way, but many others were simply cut in half by the massive blade and their pieces fell to the ground below.

The leader's larger machine, unable to dodge in time due to its bulk and the momentum the blade had built up, was struck by it and cut from left shoulder to right hip in a single strike. Out of nowhere, countless explosions started ripping through the machine along the line of the cut. It was difficult to say who had the biggest shock, Atreus or his adversaries. Then the blade shrank back to its original size as if nothing had happened.

"Exploding sword cuts…?" Atreus muttered, taking a long look at his blade as the ruination was completed. "What the hell? How does that even work?"

Then, with dawning horror, he looked at the result of his handiwork.

"D-Did I just… kill someone?"

"Focus, boy." the harsh voice scolded. "We still have work to do."

"Here?" Atreus asked, somewhat confused and still struggling to process what he had just done. "I'm pretty sure the others have driven the rest out of the island by now."

"They have." the harsh voice said. "But..."

"It is time to send a message." the gentle voice said with grim determination.

"If this world is to know peace, true peace, then we must put this filth to the sword." the harsh voice added. "Here and elsewhere."

"In the west." the gentle voice clarified. "The place where they first struck will be the site of our counterattack. We will show the world that these foes can be beaten. We will rally the spirits of humanity."

"Not only that." the harsh voice said. "We will show these invaders the wages of their sins."

And with that, Atreus felt images flooding his mind. Vivid scenes of fire and carnage as more of the alien machines descended upon an iconic skyline like a pack of locusts. With a chill down his spine, he realized that he was seeing something that was happening or had happened elsewhere – the images were simply too clear. It was enough to distract him from his thoughts about what he had just done… and drown out everything else.

"What the hell was that?" he asked, momentarily out of breath and feeling a knot in his throat.

"What they did to the first place they landed upon." the harsh voice said. "And for good measure..."

Atreus suddenly felt his senses being assaulted by a strange sensation. In his mind's eye, he could see countless strange flickers all around him, then across the entire island. Each of them like a tiny flame, scurrying about, occasionally flaring… or going out. Each time one of them went out, he would feel something like a pinprick in his chest.

"What's this?" he asked, struggling to process what he was seeing.

"I think you know." the gentle voice said mournfully.

Then the perception expanded, reaching beyond the island. Horrified, he realized the same thing was happening practically everywhere… and his heart felt as if it were about to crack. Then the strange vision faded and he found himself gasping for breath.

"And now you know what they will continue to do if allowed to roam free." the harsh voice added. "I trust that you are sufficiently motivated?"

"You have no idea..." Atreus growled, clenching his fist as the shock and horror gave way to revulsion and a spark of anger.

Trying to steady himself, he took a deep breath before speaking again.

"So what do I call you two anyway? By the way you talk, one of you sounds like an angry old man and the other… like his softer son or something? WHAT even are you? Some kind of AIs?"

"I am." the harsh voice said.

"You are what?" Atreus asked, slightly confused.

"A pain in my incorporeal posterior." the gentle voice said. "You are not… too far off the mark, but at this point names are somewhat meaningless for the likes of us."

So engrossed was he in the exchange that he did not notice the slender blue robot, built in the image of its pilot, swimming just below the water's surface with the grace and speed of a mermaid despite having legs and not a tail.

"Found him..." Fairy muttered to herself, letting out a sigh of relief.

Going through the water had been a complete waste of time in regards to the battle as the enemy had not deployed any sea forces to speak of, which made sense considering that all their machines seemed capable of flight in some capacity. Still, having caught up with her young charge made the trip worth it to her.

Suddenly snapping to attention at a warning from her machine's radar systems, Fairy turned the Great Leviathan's head just in time to intercept a trio of the invaders' humanoid machines coming up from the ocean side.

"Oh no you don't!" she hissed, raising her machine's gigantic bladed trident. A strange blue energy beam shot out of it and the hapless trio found themselves trapped in a block of ice, plummeting into the waters.

Glad to have been able to test her machine's armaments on a live target and covered the overeager boy in one move, she grinned. Before she could say anything to him, however, his construct darted straight up and blasted off into the distance, oblivious to her presence.

"Damnit..." she hissed.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Sanctum...

"Finally..." Cadmus said as he got a fix on the strange construct's location. He was definitely not pleased about the fact that it had seemingly disappeared during the battle.

"Wait..." Ciel interrupted, perplexed and alarmed. "What is it doing? Where is it going?"

"I can hazard a guess… Look at its trajectory."

"The mainland..." a third voice said from out of sight.

"We always wanted to take him and Amelia to visit more of the world..." Ciel said. "But this is not what I had in mind."

"At least now we shouldn't lose the signal again." Cadmus said with growing frustration. "Hopefully. Those two… honestly..."

"Why exactly do we still put up with their shit anyway?" the third voice asked, clearly annoyed. "Even if we can't replicate those systems we could still-"

The voice then suddenly went silent as the console signaled an incoming transmission.

"Where is he?" Amelia chimed in through the communications link, her face appearing on the screen with a worried frown.

"He's left the island." Cadmus said with a sigh.

"What?!" Amelia shouted in a flash of panic.

"I have no doubt that he will come home eventually." Ciel said. "But him running off on his own was definitely not part of the plan."

"Then call him!" Amelia protested.

"We've tried." Cadmus said. "There's… something wrong with the signal."

"What?!" Amelia shouted. "I'm going after him!"

"Not with that machine." Cadmus replied. "The Hoplon was never equipped for long distance flight. We had hoped that both of you would handle the Apotheosis together."

"That said..." Ciel added. "We have a pretty good idea of where he is going, based on the trajectory and other reports. We just need to figure out how to get you there as well."

"You too look awfully calm about this whole thing." Amelia said with a hint of annoyance.

"Only because we have to hold ourselves together." Cadmus said with a sigh. "For his sake and yours."

"Is there any chance we can fit the spare thrusters for Sage's machine onto ours?" Fairy chimed in. "Right now he's the only one who stands a chance of catching up."

"That was a regrettable oversight on my part." Cadmus admitted. "I thought we could fit standard flight modules in later after finishing the inaugural batch of Pantheon units."

"What's done is done." the unseen voice said. "We didn't have an exact timetable for the invasion so we had to cover a lot of bases at the same time. Focus on solutions now."

"I'm more worried about what could happen between now and the time we find him." a woman in her fifties chimed in as her face appeared on another of the monitors, as she adjusted her round glasses. She looked almost like an older version of Ciel with slowly graying hair, a few more wrinkles and sprinkles of golden in her blue eyes.

"The situation is definitely unpredictable right now." Ciel pondered. "But don't worry Mom. We'll get your grandson home safe."

"I know." the older woman said with a smile. "Just don't drive yourselves ragged while you're doing that. Remember, you don't have to do everything on your own."

As the last surviving member of the original Founders, Ciel's mother Lune, had been a pillar of strength for the two, especially since their inauguration. Age had definitely not dulled her wits or her will.

"So you were in on this too Grandma?" Amelia asked, looking more than a little upset.

"I was aware of it, yes… even though I had some reservations."

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Amelia protested.

"Because, as your father may have told you already, we were hoping that things would never get to this point." Lune said with a sigh. "That you two would be able to live normal lives… or as normal as possible given that you may one day need to take over for your parents."

"Things are definitely not looking good right now." Amelia conceded, equal parts upset about being kept in the dark and touched that her family would try to protect her. "But why is he running off by himself?"

"That thing has a will of its own." Ciel said with a frown. "Stubborn, cantankerous and angry. For a considerable time, it simply refused to be analyzed, and even after we got a reaction it wasn't possible to do any actual field testing."

"You built that thing, but you can't control it?" Amelia asked, rather confused.

"It's… more complicated than that." Ciel said.

The trip westward across the ocean felt like a blur as urgency seemed to drive the strange construct beyond the speeds it had previously shown, and soon Atreus came upon a small island at the mouth of a river that he had seen in countless postcards, movies and assorted works of art.

* * *

"**If there is one thing that has baffled countless travelers and scholars when it comes to parallel Earths, it is the way that – regardless of how specific events unfold – some places usually still exist or have previously existed in a recognizable form. Jerusalem, Constantinople, New York and Moscow are some examples. This does not apply exclusively to population centers. Every Earth has the same basic geography – at least until some cataclysmic event rearranges it.**

**The names, time frame and appearance may vary. The dominant species on Earth may be different. However, the location and character of many cities and other man-made landmarks are mostly the same, to the extent where those jumping between parallel universes can use them as reference points. Perhaps it is a case of geography dictating history. While this effect can also be observed in parallel iterations of other worlds, it appears to be considerably more pronounced on Earth."**

**\- Codex Alter Mundi, Chapter 4 – Infinite Earths**

In a time long gone, after crossing the Atlantic westward – a feat that had baffled historians for centuries – the Romans had settled across the northern subcontinent's shores, bending the local tribes to their will and eventually clashing with the Norse in Vinland once the two groups had discovered each other's presence. After three hundred years of intermittent warfare, the Empire had left the Norse domains up north to their own devices, building a wall to separate the territories. This had maintained stable borders, and Greater Roman Empire had lasted until the brink of the Middle Ages when Eurasian territories had started breaking off and a massive succession crisis had split the Empire in pieces.

The Westernmost Empire had eventually settled into a loose federation of states, which had not expanded far beyond the ocean shore for two hundred years due to being stuck in near permanent political bickering and power plays. This had changed with the discovery of vast quantities of natural resources to the west, which in turn had prompted a massive immigration influx from the Eurasian region.

The Ameropan Union, established after the Dissolution, was in some ways a more democratic recreation of the old two continent scheme, though some lands had stayed independent. Such was the case of the former Kingdom of Creamland, to the east, which in the twenty years after the Dissolution had incorporated several of its neighboring states by treaty to form the nation of Albion.

Nova Vinea, formerly a town founded by imperial colonists in a partnership with merchants and vintners from Vinland, had been the entry point for a good portion of those masses, its size exploding in the seventy years to follow. In time it had become a symbol of new opportunities and new beginnings, becoming a trading hub even before the invention of the combustion engine and eventually prompting the construction of a large open armed statue facing eastward, as though welcoming the masses.

It was in Nova Vinea that the young scion found himself, looking at the selfsame statue, still majestic and beautiful despite recent events. The rest of the landscape, however, was considerably different from the typical image, looking instead like something out of a nightmare.

Iconic buildings that had stood for decades or more lay terribly scarred, some of them reduced to rubble entirely. Just as before, the invaders had been merciless, and unlike before, they had not been confronted by a set of ridiculously powerful machines.

Once again, as he watched the flames, the ruin and the fleeing civilians, the anger in his heart grew, but something else caught his eye. Strewn across the streets were the remains of alien machines, recognizable by their shape and color. In the distance, he could see more of the humanoid models and drones, with the fighter analogues conspicuously absent. They also seemed to be engaged in a firefight with some sort of army division, mostly armed with bulky tanks of a model he did not recognize, though there also some soldiers running around on foot armed mostly with rocket launchers and assault rifles.

The soldiers were putting up a valiant fight, having clearly taken down a number of enemies on their own, but were outnumbered. Taking advantage of the fact that the invaders were focused on the local forces, Atreus charged in, pulverizing the back of one enemy robot's head with a punch while spearing another with the eye beams. If he had not been in the throes of fury, he might have noticed how quickly he was growing accustomed to the construct's weapons.

In the chaos that erupted, Atreus found himself chasing one of the enemy robots through the air, sword drawn, and cutting it in half, separating the torso from the lower body. Then, to his surprise and indignation, some of the tanks shifted their turrets and pointed them at the Apotheosis.

"What is wrong with you people?!" he shouted, glaring at them but not making any obvious threatening moves. "All these targets and you're aiming at the one thing bailing you out?!"

"Identify yourself!" a voice shouted over a loudspeaker.

"Common courtesy would dictate that you do so first." Atreus retorted.

Suddenly, another voice cut into the transmission.

"Stand down soldiers."

"Who is this?!" the soldier demanded.

"You don't need to know that." the new voice said dismissively. "All you need to know is that we are taking command of this operation. Sending you the command codes now. Kindly acknowledge."

"… Valid command codes received." the soldier said grudgingly.

"Thank you." the new voice said, professional but with a hint of sarcasm. "Reinforcements are inbound. Do try not to shoot them."

"And what about the unknown?"

"Leave it alone as long as it does not take hostile action against you."

"Acknowledged." the soldier said, somewhat confused.

Intrigued, but focused on the task at hand, Atreus moved on. His construct had barely reached the next intersection, however, when a group of five new, rather ugly machines, descended out of nowhere, breaking their fall with rocket thrusters mounted on their backs and on the base of their feet.

The five looked like some pictures of old robot prototypes back from the days of the defunct Dr. Wily, only cruder and clearly focused on function at the expense of form, standing at about half the height of the Apotheosis on thick legs with oversized knee joints, ending in stubby bases lined with metal pieces in the front and back that looked almost like handlebars. The arms, protruding from the central chassis, looked almost wiry compared to the legs, clutching what looked like a cross between an assault rifle and an old Vulcan auto-cannon commonly seen in ancient jet fighters with thick three fingered hands. The heads of the machines, in elongated oval forms, looked almost featureless apart from a pair of optic sensors mounted in the front. The entirety of the machines and associated weapons were painted in camouflage patterns.

"_Well, those definitely don't look like they're with the invaders..."_ Atreus pondered, turning around to watch them.

The four machines fanned out and started firing on another wave of invaders, taking down a pair of humanoid models and three drones in a hail of metal as the rotating barrels of the bulky guns started glowing orange from the heat. Seeing the opportunity for some payback, the local soldiers on foot and in the tanks joined in, acquiring new targets, though the infantry eventually ran out of rockets and were forced to pull back.

The enemy was not about to go down quietly, however, and while two of the fighter-bombers laid out suppressive fire two more humanoid machines unleashed twin streams of the small blue energy projectiles. One of their targets was able to roll out of the way, but the other was not so lucky, getting hit in the left leg and profusely leaking hydraulic fluid.

"Kurwa!" the pilot inside cursed in a hoarse male voice, seemingly having switched to an open channel by mistake.

"_I guess they can handle themselves, whoever they are." _Atreus pondered. _"Still..."_

And with that, he unceremoniously shot down another enemy humanoid machine with a pair of eye beams, melting its head off.

As if on cue, another of the ugly machines in camouflage paint chucked what could only be a grenade at their assailants, which nearly blew off the torso of one if them and claimed its companion's left arm. The ugly machine with the damaged leg limped away while the others finished off the second assailant with focused fire.

Atreus sensed something else coming and quickly turned his construct's head over the shoulder just in time to see a larger enemy formation. He counted at least eight humanoid machines, just as many fighter-bombers and far too many drones to bother trying to count. It seemed to him that the tanks would be sitting ducks in such a situation, and he tried to voice that opinion, before something else interrupted his train of thought.

"What the..." Atreus muttered as he sensed more than saw a black shape darting in the air above his head. His gaze quickly darted around the battlefield as he tried to take the measure of the opposition, mostly the same generic soldier models he was getting more experience against than he cared to.

A strange sound echoed through the air, almost like a gust of wind, and the same black shape darted among a group of three of the generic soldier models. In a flash of red, all three fell apart, smashed by precision strikes.

"Who..." Atreus muttered, trying to get a better view of the strange intruder.

"Eyes on the ball lad." a man said through the communication system, as if sensing his confusion. He sounded somewhat older, with a distinctive upper class accent from one of the northern Albion regions. For some reason, the voice evoked the mental image an of old spy movie protagonist, suave and confident.

"And you are?" Atreus asked, just as he conjured the strange blade again and split two enemy machines along the midsection with a wide swing.

The black form vanished from sight again. At this point, Atreus figured it must have been using some sort of optical camouflage system, though few nations could truly boast of possessing that kind of technology… at least that he was aware of.

"Tell you what lad." the man's voice said though the communications system again, sounding almost jolly. "We put these wankers down and I'll give you a proper introduction. We can't well have them prance around with their bloody toys in the middle of the city."

"Curious..." the Son said. "You certainly have a talent for attracting the attention of unusual people."

The ugly machines in camouflage scrambled, seemingly galvanized by the presence of the intruder in black. The one with the damaged leg took a knee to stabilize its aim and ripped a few drones apart in a hail of fire while its companions took aim at other targets. One of them clipped the wing of one of the fighter-bombers, sending it careening out of control and crashing into the side of a building.

"Watch it!" Atreus protested. "There could still be people inside."

"We know, lad." the stranger said with a sigh. "And if we don't finish this quickly even more people could die."

"Over my dead body!" Atreus growled, taking to the sky and physically hurling his construct at the enemy, blade raised.

As he got close enough for the enemy to actually stand a chance of hitting him, something strange happened. A barrage of projectiles darted his way from three different directions and he braced for impact… only for a shimmering golden energy barrier of some kind to flare into the visible spectrum, centered on the construct.

"Bloody hell lad..." the stranger said. "Where did they dig that thing out from?"

"It is a good thing that this construct is able to withstand your recklessness." the Son remarked.

"Any other surprises you want to bring to my attention?" Atreus asked, relieved but somewhat suspicious about the construct and the two voices inside.

"In due time." the Father said. "Now, are you going to stand there all day or are you going to crush these pests?"

A few minutes later, with the area cleared, the two machines, white and black, finally stood face to face.

The contrast was striking. While the Apotheosis looked regal in its bearing, even despite the underlying menace its presence projected, the other machine seemed to possess a more functional design, though without sacrificing the intimidation factor.

It looked like an armored soldier of ages past, given new life through technology, with a sturdy, if somewhat blocky body, thick arms and legs and a head that evoked a visored helmet, crowned with a pair of fins on the sides and protecting an unusual sensor array that let out an unsettling glow through the crack of the visor. Three chromed metal prongs of unusual design protruded forward from each of its wrists, almost like another approach to brass knuckles and the area between the machine's wait and lower legs was covered by what looked almost like a metal kilt. The feet themselves looked thick and sturdy, almost a little too big compared to the body. To finish off the ensemble, it was carrying some kind of utility pack in the back with large thrusters and a prominent pair of rigid wings much like those of a small airplane. An odd assault rifle suited to its size, made of a dull gray metal and with some kind of attachment under the barrel, was hanging from a strap over its left shoulder. The machine was a bit shorter than the Apotheosis, but that seemed to go well with the agility and cloaking capabilities it had displayed.

"Well then, a promise is a promise." the man said, his machine's head looking around as if appraising their handiwork. "While you're probably going to be disappointed with the half answer, I can't exactly tell you who I'm with for now."

"I figured as much." Atreus said.

"For now, you can call me Captain Devon. As for this beauty here, the official model name is the Gespenst Shildritter. Or if you want to have something to call it in a language that won't give your tongue cramps, you can just call it the Phantom Sentinel like I do."

Upon closer inspection, Atreus noticed two dark gray metal patches that did not quite fit in with the rest of the design, both shaped like elongated pentagons with the longer sides pointing downwards. The one over the chest seemed completely smooth, but the other, over the machine's left arm right below the shoulder, had a curious insignia, almost like the equivalent of a tattoo on a soldier's arm – a mushroom cloud stylized in the shape of a skull and framed by three words: "BELLATOR IN MACHINA"

"Keep your secrets then." Atreus said with a shrug. "I guess you could say I have a few of my own. I am Atreus Atreides, and this is the Apotheosis. I'm afraid I can't tell you much more than that myself."

"Both heavy names, to be sure..." the man said. "I'm guessing you picked neither of them. Regardless, as you can see, there are more people out there fighting those blue skinned wankers."

"Blue?" Atreus asked. "So they're…?"

"Aliens, yes. My colleagues have already pried a few out of their cockpits. The weird part is how… human they look aside from that. Watch yourself though. They're vicious buggers, with or without their machines."

A ringing sound came through the communicator and the man sighed.

"Well the lad, time to get going. I get the feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of each other in the near future."

With that, the black machine turned around and a set of thrusters on its back flared up with a blue light. Leaving a faint trail of some sort of dark blue mist that soon dissipated, it took off and flew into the distance, soon followed by the ugly machines in the camouflage paint – two of them helping their damaged companion – until they reached some massive black shape, hidden in a thick cloud bank, beyond what Atreus could sense. He deduced it to be some sort of airborne carrier, though he had no idea who could have built such a thing.

"Everyone still alive down there?" Atreus called out to the soldier in the tank.

"Guess so..." the man's voice replied.

"Any idea who those people were?"

"No idea kid. The only thing I know is their security clearance is way above my pay grade."

"And how's the rest of the city?"

"Clear for now. Listen, I… sorry about that earlier."

"Don't worry about it." Atreus said, the earlier annoyance completely gone. "I'd be more than a little nervous myself, sitting in a tank with so many of those buzzards swarming around. Well then..."

And with that, he took off, once again briefly indulging in the rush of flight before turning his mind to other matters.

"_This is just the beginning..."_ he pondered somberly as he turned to leave.

Without him noticing, in one of the displays in the cockpit of the strange construct a single circular red mark appeared.

Mere minutes after he had left the scene, a large black cargo helicopter without any identification landed nearby. Instead of the stereotypical men in suits and sunglasses, however, what emerged from it was a squad of eight heavily armed figures in black hi-tech armor. They fanned out, snapping pictures of the scene, the results of the battle, the wreckage of the machines, human and alien alike. Then they started collecting pieces of the wreckage and shrapnel. Finally, after a few more minutes, one of them cried out as it stood in front of the severed torso of an alien machine.

"Got a live one!"

They quickly converged on the wreckage and another armored figure ran out of the helicopter, brandishing a large electric saw plugged into somewhere inside the cargo hold with a thick cable. After a few minutes struggling with the cockpit seals, two of the figures took position behind it, holding white boxy devices that looked almost like some sort of bar code scanners. The figure wielding the saw pried the last piece of plating and quickly ducked as its companions fired two bursts of electricity into the cockpit over its head.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Hikari Laboratory…

After their first successful outing and a subsequent short celebration complete with a group picture, the newly minted Robot Masters had assembled at one of the meeting rooms, with the twins standing in front of them much like teachers in a classroom.

"So, what did you think of the machines?" Lan asked.

"Most certainly a force to be reckoned with." Aya said in her usual overly formal manner.

"Just like in the simulator." Shingo said, wiping his glasses with a microfiber cloth and some cleaning spray. "The real thing does have some added weight to it though."

"Fer once I feel like an actual main character in one of the classics!" Dex said excitedly.

"Well, technically this is all your fault." Lan quipped.

"Huh?" Dex asked. "Whaddya mean?"

"You were the one who got Hub and me hooked on those old giant robot shows back when we were kids, remember?" Lan pointed out with a grin.

"And now that we have the technology and the means..." Hub added. "We're definitely borrowing some ideas from them."

"Now, moving to the next topic." Lan said. "How were the suits?"

"Perfect fit." Raito said with a grin. Next to him Maito nodded.

"Yeah, I was afraid I might end up tearin' mine by accident!" Dex remarked. "But they're sturdier than they look."

Maria and Aya exchanged uncomfortable glances. After a moment of silence, Maria was able to speak hesitantly, looking a little flustered.

"Um… Dr. Hikari…" she timidly said, raising a hand.

Sensing her discomfort about something, Lan crouched down to speak to her at eye level.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. "I'm glad my favorite teacher raised such a polite girl, but you're not in class. You can speak freely."

"I think ours are a little… too tight around the front." she blurted out, covering her face in embarrassment.

"Oh..." Lan realized, caught completely off guard. "Right… the protective padding. I guess we didn't… take that into account. I'm used to shopping for boys' clothes after all."

The twins exchanged glances.

"Just… put the coats in the laundry basket and we'll see what we can do about that." Hub said, trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible. "Worst case scenario, we can just get bigger sizes."

"Please do." Aya said, looking somewhat uncomfortable herself but managing to keep a straight face.

To their credit, the boys did not laugh or say anything, even as she glanced nervously at them as if expecting some snide remark. In fact, they seemed as eager for the conversation to end as everyone involved. The cousins avoided her gaze and Shingo suddenly decided he was extremely interested in the encrypted tablet with the instructions handbook for the Drill Machine that the twins had produced for his portion of the training. Whether they were keeping quiet out of a sense of decorum or out of fear of her temper, she couldn't tell.

"Sorry girls." Lan said, looking about as uncomfortable as the girls. "We'll get this sorted out soon."

With that, he stepped out of the room.

"All right then." Hub said. "That's it for now. Again, good job everyone. If anyone has any suggestions for improvements in other areas, you can let us know anytime. Now go get some rest."

With that, he left the room as well and caught up with Lan outside.

"Now that was awkward." Lan said.

"You still handled it like a professional." Hub said.

"I just feel stupid that I forgot something so obvious." Lan said with a sigh. "Oh well, live and learn. Suzu and Rini will be their age before we realize it."

A familiar face then walked by, followed by a pack of rowdy schoolchildren. Lan's face instantly lit up into a beaming smile, and he proceeded to give his wife a warm embrace, lifting her off her feet. Around them, the children started laughing and jeering, though a few also cheered loudly.

"Missed you already." he said.

"What would you ever do if I went on vacation on my own? Starve?" Mayl managed to quip before kissing his forehead.

Further down the hall, Ms. Bonne watched the two with a strange smile on her face. She closed her eyes, lightly flustered, and let out a sigh.

Ms. Yumi, watching her in turn, rolled her eyes in annoyance and grabbed her by the sleeve of her lab coat.

"This again? Come on." she whispered. "We have work to do."

And so the two moved along, unnoticed by the others.

"Good thing my brother can cook like a pro chef then." Lan said without a hint of shame. "That said, I'd definitely still miss you for other reasons."

"You're terrible." Mayl teased.

After nineteen years of marriage and three children, they had calmed down somewhat compared to their teenage years, but they were still madly in love and there was an almost palpable tension in the air whenever they looked at each other. The light-hearted ribbing (or as Lan called it, their duels) were somewhat infamous among their close friends, but they usually refrained from doing it in public to avoid embarrassing their children.

"Guilty as charged." Lan said with a cheeky grin before putting her back down. "But so, did the evacuation go as planned?"

"Apart from one of the children hiding in a closet when the alarm rang." Mayl said with a shrug. "And having to get another down from a tree. But if I was able to get those two rascals through school then I can manage this."

"Why the squirt bottle though?" Raito asked with a pout as he stepped out of the meeting room. "We're not cats!"

"No, you're worse." Mayl replied with a grin before ruffling his hair. "You're Hikari boys."

"Mom!" Raito protested. "Not in front of my classmates!"

Behind him he could hear the others snickering loudly at the exchange.

"_I can still remember when we were their age..." _Lan thought with a smile. _"I know you complain and squirm when the others are watching, but you'll always be your mom's little boy."_

"If you don't want Ms. Mayl doting on you..." Maria chimed in, edging closer with an adorably cheeky smile.

"No!" Raito protested, puffing his cheeks. "My Mom! Get your own!"

It took his mind half a second to process what he had just said, but it was too late.

"Damnit!" he muttered under his breath while most of the others started laughing openly.


	4. Super Fighting Robots

Chapter 4 – Super Fighting Robots

In a hidden underground facility in Western Europe…

"Your report, Captain?" a male voice asked.

"Operation Rising Curtain was a resounding success, as I'm sure you've already heard." a second male voice said. "Wojcek had a close call there, but at least he made it back. I've already heard about Calcutta on the way here though. Stein and Pradesh will be missed."

"Yes… Your unit was definitely a considerable force multiplier." the first voice said pensively. "The Warden model looks like it will be serviceable for a while with further incremental upgrades, but we definitely need to figure out a way to get the Sentinel line operational or push the Gespenst into mass production."

"That brings its own list of complications." the first male voice said. "We can afford to splurge on a prototype, but if we want mass production… the optic camouflage and some other features would have to be axed."

"Yes..." the second male voice said with weary resignation. "We have no shortage of manpower right now, but that could change eventually. Our bottlenecks are still materials and production capacity, which will take time to remedy."

"If I may remind you..." a third male voice said, measured but confident. "The Gespenst's strength was always in its adaptability. You don't strictly need all the features in all the models, but if you keep using a modular approach..."

"Yes… I may still be too stuck on the old way of thinking." the first male voice said, somewhat frustrated. "However, we cannot afford to put all our eggs in one basket. Even if it means turning to unconventional solutions, we must adapt."

"What about VTX?" the second male voice asked. "They have definitely delivered on this one."

"They're working as quickly as they can, given the circumstances." the first male voice said. "A full Gespenst contingent is still not in the cards for the near future."

"Unfortunate." the second male voice said. "If we could just get one attached to each squad..."

"I will continue to coordinate with them in that department." the third male voice said. "The people in charge have a track record of exceeding expectations."

"Bottom line is, the Warden model will likely find itself outclassed in the medium term." the second male voice said. "The only reason we're still producing that template is because we still don't have the exotic materials we need."

"What of that unidentified machine?" a woman asked.

"Definitely no friend of the aliens." the second male voice said. "But there are plenty of things about it that bother me."

"Care to elaborate?" the woman asked.

"I could be mistaken, but the pilot sounded like a mere boy. Not even twenty, I think… and almost as confused about the machine as we are."

"Regrettably… this is not the first time I have seen something like this happen." the third male voice said with a heavy sigh. "The fact that half of these these Robot Masters are effectively children as well..."

"Once reality sinks in..." the first male voice said. "I do hope they will not lose their nerve."

"Another reason for us to pull out all the stops, Commander." the second male voice said. "Now if only the Major here will drop the practical jokes and focus on the important parts..."

"And you're sure about the flight recorder data?" the woman insisted.

"You heard it loud and clear, right?" the second man asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Atreides..." the woman pondered. "Now where have I heard that name before?"

"Antarctica." the first male voice said. "Twenty years ago. Mission control for the twins. I was there, and so was the Captain's father."

"Sir?" the woman asked.

"No... not him." the first male voice pondered. "Definitely too young for that. Possibly related. We need to look into this further. Still, if heads of state are involved, we'll need to consider our actions carefully."

* * *

The next morning, at the Hikari Laboratory…

"I'd say your inaugural battle has definitely turned some heads here and abroad." Lan said as he leaned against a desk in one of the meeting rooms.

"I'm guessing you didn't call us here just to tell us how impressive we were though, right?" Maito asked, flexing his biceps. "But if you did, please go on."

"Yes… and no." Hub added, stepping into the room and taking his place next to Lan.

Hub snapped his fingers and the lights switched off, while a projector on the desk turned on, showing a map of the Pacific coast.

"Our show of force has definitely put the invaders on the back foot." Hub explained, the display changing as he went on, showing troop movements and engagement sites. "The fact that the entire Pacific Coalition's air force and armored divisions came down on them hard in other locations didn't hurt either."

"These invaders definitely kicked a hornet's nest." Lan said. "Now we must continue to do our part."

"At this point we still don't know their numbers or what they want..." Hub added. "But we're sure of one thing."

"What's that?" Maria asked.

"We're definitely dealin' with aliens." Dex said. "Actual aliens."

"And they're definitely not here to build pyramids." Chisao added with a nod.

"Well, I don't give a damn if they're from Mars, Jupiter, Uranus or whatever." GutsMan chimed in, cracking his knuckles. "We're still gonna sock 'em good!"

"Things are going to get worse before the end of this." Lan said somberly. "We may have the bastards on the back foot, but they've gone to town on other places around the world."

"These models are weak, but look shoddy." Hub clarified. "Most of them are unmanned too. It feels like they're testing us before the big event."

"Which brings us to our next topic." Hub continued. "We got a call two hours ago from one of our contacts in the Ameropan Union. They asked for our help in the mainland."

"Unlike those old giant robot shows some of us are so fond of..." Lan added. "We're not going to win this one just by sticking here and digging in, then duking it out with a flamboyantly dressed villain once a week. We have to think globally."

"Are you sure about this?" Shingo asked hesitantly. "I don't even have a passport!"

"Don't worry about those details." Lan said. "Nobody in their right mind will complain about getting your help, papers or not. But we have friends among the administration who will step in if anyone does try to cause problems."

"That said, it may be a good idea to take care of the paperwork in case we need to do more traveling in the future." Hub suggested.

"So how are we going to get there?" Aya asked. "My family does own a fleet of cargo planes and an aviation company but..."

"Yeah, yeah, we know." Shingo interrupted, getting annoyed. "You own half the world and then some. You don't miss a chance to remind us of that."

"This is hardly the time for jealousy!" she hissed, glaring at him.

"As if!" he retorted, straightening his glasses with a bitter scowl. "I don't care how rich you are, but sometimes you're completely out of touch with reality."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she hissed.

Lan sighed and rolled his eyes, then pushed a button on his watch.

"Honey, please?"

Mayl stepped into the room, carrying a plastic squirt bottle. Raito and Maito winced at the sight of it, but for once they were not the targets. Instead, she walked past them and squirted cold water on the bickering duo, twice each for good measure.

"Thank you." Lan said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Better?" Mayl asked, looking at the two slightly moister pair. They stayed silent, suddenly aware of the scene they had been making in front of everyone.

Mayl then sighed and sat behind the desk Lan was leaning against.

"I'd like to believe that your parents raised you better than that." she said with a disappointed look on her face. "And that I've taught you better than that. Seriously, what is it with you two? You weren't like this before..."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Aya scoffed.

"It doesn't matter." Shingo grumbled, looking away.

Maria's right eye twitched slightly and she calmly grabbed the large hardcover book on her desk, marked the page with a green silk ribbon, then closed it in a gentle, deliberate motion… and suddenly slammed it down hard on her desk.

"Are we going to waste the rest of the day with this?!" she fumed with a sudden glimmer of steel in her eyes.

Everyone else except Mayl was stunned into silence.

"Thank you dear." Mayl said with an appreciative smile.

"I do hope to follow in Mama's footsteps." Maria said, her expression and tone softening just as quickly. "And yours."

"_Beware the quiet ones..." _Lan thought, trying not to grin.

"Well then..." Hub said before clearing his throat. "As we were saying… while things are quiet on the home front, the eastern Pacific shore is still a mess. Local forces have their hands full with such a big stretch to cover.

"I've got no objections about reaching out and helping other people." Maito said. "After all, that's what you two spent so many years doing. But… won't we be leaving our backs exposed?"

"From what we her, the Pacific Coalition may be getting some help soon." Lan said, before suddenly frowning. "But there's something they're not telling us."

"What do you mean?" Aya asked.

"We've been hearing some strange rumors." Lan said, crossing his arms. "Some kind of military outfit has been popping up all over the world on alien attack sites with some really ugly machines. They swoop in, bail out the local forces or rescue civilians, then gather samples of the wrecked alien machines and disappear."

"Military?" Shingo pondered, having read his fair share of conspiracy theories online. "Or something else entirely?"

"I don't know." Lan said. "The Union, the Coalition and the Federation have been strangely tight-lipped about this even though they asked for our collaboration. And that makes me nervous. If that other group is on our side, that's good, but… something feels off about all of this."

The fact that three different power blocs had contacted the twins came as no surprise to those present. After all, even twenty years after the Day of Sigma, many still remembered their previous exploits and held them in high regard. In fact, Dex was aware that a local TV network had been at work adapting some of their past adventures. He too had been approached about this, and there were even talks of a toy line. Not being overly fond of the spotlight, he and the twins had trusted Yai's lawyers to handle such matters.

"On another note…" Maito said.

"When are our machines going to be able to fly?" Raito added. "After all, it's tradition."

"It's… a work in progress." Hub said.

"The Guts Machine will definitely take some extra work too." Lan added, running a finger under his nose with a childlike grin.

"You callin' our manly Guts Machine fat?!" Dex shouted.

"_On that note… should we tell them about the other thing?" _Hub thought, drawing upon the old ability the twins shared to touch each other's minds through their bond, which – to their surprise when they'd first discovered it – still worked even after years without using Full Synchro.

"_Soon." _Lan replied. _"We don't even know where he is right now, but I get the feeling their paths are going to cross soon enough."_

"_That thing still gives me the creeps."_

"_Me too brother. Me too. Maybe they should have left it buried in that cave."_

"Uh, are you two quite all right?" Aya asked, noticing how quiet the twins had gone, just standing still next to each other with their eyes closed as they had their silent exchange.

"We're fine, we're fine." Lan said awkwardly, snapping to attention. "Don't mind us, we do that sometimes."

"Anyway..." Hub added. "We'll be acting as you mission control as usual. Getting your machines on a plane or a ship would be too risky, but there's a submarine carrier heading that way. The commanding officer is an old friend of ours and has already agreed to give you a ride… with permission from his superiors, of course."

"That said..." Lan added. "We're not forcing anyone to go. If you have any objections, you can stay here and keep practicing or go home and rest. We've already informed all your parents but the final decision is yours. Just bear in mind that once your mind is made up we won't be able to change the plans."

No one voiced any objections. By the look on the others' faces, the twins could tell they had already decided.

* * *

The next morning, at a pier in Seaside Harbor...

"Once more into the breach, as they say." the imposing man said as the twins stepped closer. Behind them the Robot Master pilots were carrying backpacks and suitcases with a week's worth of personal supplies.

He would have appeared to to be a little older than the twins, if not for the bushy teal beard and the glimmer of steel in his blue eyes, which made him considerably more intimidating. He was wearing a thick green coat, more suitable for the winter and completely buttoned up, from under which an also green military uniform and matching knee high boots were peeking out. As the twins approached, he removed the leather glove from his right hand.

"It's been a long time." Lan said as he shook his hand in a firm grip.

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" the grizzled veteran asked. "One day you wake up and everything's changed again."

"We do what we can." Hub said, shaking his hand. "We just wish we could do more this time than sit around in Mission Control."

"_This time." _Lan thought. _"But soon… soon..."_

"Major-General Laika?" Raito asked incredulously. "What's a special forces officer doing in a submarine?"

"Submarine carrier, remember?" Laika pointed out, his expression still stiff and humorless. "Something we were field testing before this mess started."

"So the Eurasian Federation and the Pacific Coalition are working together on this?" Aya asked. "I thought..."

"You thought the Federation couldn't stand the Ameropan Union?" Laika summed up, with his lips curling into the hint of a smile. "Those politicians should have gone into professional acting. They definitely have a talent for drama. No, Little Miss. They like blowing hot air and screaming at each other on TV but still go out drinking together after putting up those shows."

"That would explain a lot, actually." Shingo said, straightening his glasses.

"The State would save a lot of money if it put the politicians to work in daytime television." Laika said with a perfectly serious expression. "Or just had them all shot."

"_He's kidding, right?" _Raito thought nervously.

"It's the more isolated nations you've got to watch out for." Laika added. "The ones with more money than they know what to do with, or with a historical bone to pick... or both. And now that those souka aliens are here, people are realizing that flags and borders are not the absolutes they thought."

He then pointed up with his uncovered hand.

"I've been to space myself a couple of times. From up there, you can see no borders. No flags. There's a vast difference between being a patriot and a blind idiot."

Just then, a crimson limousine came into view and hurriedly parked in front of the pier.

Before the driver could step out, a door in the back opened and from it stepped an elegant woman in a long red silk dress with golden embroidery and matching designer shoes. Her golden hair, reaching the middle of her back, was as smooth as the dress. At the sight of the group, her brown eyes perked up and she hastened her pace, smiling all the way. An elaborate golden ring with dozens of tiny diamonds ornamented her left ring finger and she had a delicate golden chain around her neck, from which a teardrop shaped pearl was hanging. A golden wrist watch with a red leather strap was firmly attached to her left wrist.

"Looks like I made it in time." she said, before proceeding to hug Aya.

"Mother?" Aya cried out in surprise. "Did I forget something at home?"

"No dear, I just wanted to come see you off." Yai said, before kissing her cheek. "I've said this before, but we're all very proud of you."

"B-But did you not have a meeting right about now?" Aya asked, simultaneously embarrassed and happy by the public display of affection.

"That can wait." Yai retorted with a shrug. "Now then… be sure to call when you can. You have some extra first aid supplies in the second compartment and you-know-what in the back pocket."

"Yes, Mother. Thank you." Aya said, trying to contain her embarrassment in front of the others, but nowhere near as self-conscious about it as Raito had been the previous day.

The others had all said their goodbyes before leaving home, but this was Aya's first time traveling without her parents. The twins knew this and did not interfere.

After about fifteen minutes, Laika checked his wrist watch.

"Ladies and gentlemen, right this way."

And with that, he led them to a large green motorboat that was waiting for them.

"So what's going to happen now?" Raito asked once they were all on board.

"Now, we'll be taking you to Sunset Coast. Were you briefed about the rest of the operation?"

"Yes, mostly." Maito said with a nod.

"Good." Laika said with a nod. "Your machines are being loaded on board as we speak. We'll leave within the hour. In the meantime I will show you the living quarters."

And with that, the boat sped off, leaving Lan, Hub and Yai watching them go.

"_Good luck." _Hub thought. _"Come back in one piece."_

"So..." Yai said, leering at Lan and breaking into a grin much like the ones she used to flash in her younger days. "Tight around the front, huh?"

"I walked right into that one." Lan said sheepishly.

"Lan..." Yai said, snickering. "I love you to pieces… platonically, mind you… but you can still be completely clueless around girls."

"The boy I have on that boat and the boy and girl waiting for him at home would suggest I'm doing something right." Lan retorted with a cheeky grin.

Yai playfully elbowed him in the ribs, the mischievous grin and attitude sharply contrasting with the sophisticated image she normally tried to project in public. There was something about the present company that tended to make her feel like a schoolgirl again when they were in private.

"Smartass." she said, still grinning.

She then checked the time on her watch and groaned.

"A few years sooner, that would have been us getting on that boat." she lamented. "We do what we must… and now it's time for me to go grapple with the sharks in the boardroom."

By the look on her face, tangling with aliens and giant robots seemed like the more pleasant prospect of the two, but she was well aware of her duties – after all, she and her husband were among the main supporters of the Robot Masters project.

"It's not easy for any of us." Lan said with a sigh. "Getting others to do the actual fighting while we have our hands full building the tools for them."

Then his right hand glowed faintly with a familiar white light as he clenched his fist.

"But it won't be like this forever." he added resolutely. "I refuse to leave all the danger to them."

"We can't be everywhere at once." Hub said with a nod. "But when the time is right, we'll be right there with them."

* * *

The motorboat soon came to a halt next to a large metal shape rising slightly above the waves. The boarding ramp extended from the side of the boat and Laika led them to a vertical hatch. He lifted a nearby waterproof panel, exposing a keypad, and entered a code. The hatch unlocked with a loud click and a hiss and he closed the panel again. In about three seconds the hatch opened on its own with a hydraulic hiss, revealing a staircase.

The interior construction appeared to be metallic, covered with a shiny layer of some sort of silvery synthetic polymer. While submarine craft were not normally designed with comfort in mind, the air and temperature inside were relatively pleasant, much to their surprise. The group looked around but did not stray far from their guide. Once they cleared the staircase, Laika led them to a long hall that split sideways at regular intervals. As he crossed the threshold, two burly men in blue naval uniforms saluted him and he reciprocated without breaking stride.

"You may be wondering why half the world is getting involved on this so quickly." he said, lowering his voice. "They may not say this to your face, but the truth is, most conventional military were not prepared for it."

"Not many folks are packin' giant robots." Dex remarked. "It looks like Lan's buddies from Neo Atlantis were right. Very few people listened to him."

"So that's what happened." Shingo realized. Ever since their inaugural battle, he'd been ruminating about the subject, especially after seeing how tiny and unimpressive the Pacific Coalition fighter jets had seemed in comparison to their machines.

"Yeah..." Raito said with a nod. "He explained some of this when he first showed us the X-1."

"Yes..." Laika said with a nod and a bitter scowl. "Going public at the time would have caused a useless panic or burned his reputation, so instead he tried to discreetly contact a few people in high places. Very few listened. Now, they are desperate for the Robot Masters to assist them."

Along the way, they came upon an elegant woman, wearing a navy uniform as well.

She appeared to be a couple of years older than the cousins, vibrant, full of life, with her golden hair caught in a bun and very distinctive green eyes. Even through the uniform, they could tell she was strong, probably strong enough to give even Maito and his synthetic body a run for his money if they ever struggled. Thankfully, the expression on her soft, round face was as gentle as a kitten's, which made her presence even more baffling. The only thing that clashed with her appearance was the smudge of some greasy substance on her right cheek.

Laika stopped in his tracks and pulled a white handkerchief out of his coat's breast pocket, wiping the smudge off her face.

"You missed a spot, Ensign." he said with a perfectly composed expression and even tone.

"Oh." she realized, flashing a smile at him. "Thank you."

"Where is the Chief Engineer?" he asked.

"Mama is in the reactor room." the young woman said with a smile.

His left eye twitched slightly at her response, though the young pilots were unsure why.

"Please inform her that we require her presence in the bridge as soon as possible." he said, still sticking to the stiff military persona Raito and Maito had always pictured after hearing Lan and Hub's stories.

Then they exchanged confused glances as the young woman nodded… and kissed the gruff Major-General on the cheek.

"_Wait, what?!" _Raito thought in shock. _"She's young enough to be his daughter!"_

"Q-Quit undermining my authority in front of our guests." he stammered, though he was clearly smiling.

"Sorry Papa." she said with a mischievous smile before running along.

"_Oh."_ Raito realized.

"So..." Maito said with a grin as he watched her leave.

"What can I say?" Laika asked with a shrug, leading them along towards the bridge, partially regaining his stony expression. "Being a national hero has its perks. I didn't lift a finger to influence the recruitment process or her promotions, but at times like this I made damn sure to have her where I could watch her back."

"You brought your wife and daughter to a military craft in active duty?" Aya asked, a little shocked.

"Better than having one or both at home worrying about the others." Laika pointed out. "Or scattered at different posts and possibly cut off from each other. But there were… other reasons."

"What do you mean?" Aya asked.

"You will find out soon enough, Little Miss..." Laika said with the hint of a smile as they made it to the bridge.

The bridge itself was spacious, but it was somewhat smaller than they would have expected given the size and complex function of the vessel. They could count four workstations arranged in a semicircle, though only two were in use at the moment, with a man and a woman in naval uniforms sitting at the furthermost spots, monitoring what looked like power output, engines and navigation systems. The equipment itself looked brand new, even a little shiny, with large flat screens and a general light gray aesthetic that was easy on the eyes. Each station had both a computer keyboard and mouse and more stereotypical controls, with panels laden with buttons and even a joystick of all things, which looked like it had been pulled straight from a flight simulator.

While his guests were busy marveling at the large display screens and the controls, Laika sat down at he prominently positioned command chair overlooking the chamber from an elevated position. He checked his wrist watch – fashioned from high grade steel and tied with a thick brown leather strap – and moments later the door opened again.

"Like clockwork." he said, looking over his shoulder with the hint of a smile. "You're still in better shape than girls half your age."

A woman, seemingly in her thirties, stepped into the meeting room, wearing a pair of safety goggles on her head along with a black jacket, brown trousers and thick leather work boots. She definitely resembled the Ensign they had seen earlier, with the same eyes and the same golden shade of hair – though hers seemed smoother. In fact, she could have easily passed for a big name actress, bearing an elegant beauty that laughed in the face of time and carrying herself with a confident stride.

"Glad you could make it." Laika said. "As you can see, our guests are here."

"So this is the Chief Engineer..." Raito said. "And your wife to boot."

"I'm impressed." Dex said. "You're in charge of keeping this thing running?"

"Not just that." Laika corrected, at this point practically grinning. "She also happens to be the Executive Officer. This vessel is her pride and joy."

"You're not dealing with any random razvaluha here!" the woman proclaimed proudly, thumping her chest. "I'd know. I designed it!"

"You designed all of this?" Raito asked in awe.

"Incidentally, welcome to the Morskoy Lev." she said with a proud grin. "You'll get to see it firsthand once we get going."

Her composure suddenly broke at the sight of the error message on the display screen mounted directly in front of Laika's chair, going from calm professional to avatar of fury in half a second flat.

"Zhopu porvu margala vikoliu!" she shouted, pounding the side of the monitor with her fist.

Then the error message suddenly cleared and the display went back to normal.

"Better." she said, her expression turning perfectly calm, as if nothing had happened.

"Kalinka..." Laika groaned. "How does such a beautiful, intelligent woman have such a foul mouth?"

"I must not be that intelligent, if I ended up letting you talk me into this." she said with a grin, flashing the ring on her left ring finger.

Then, noticing the shocked look on the young pilots' faces, she smiled softly, giving Laika a fond look and suddenly wrapped an arm around his neck.

"I kid, I kid. This big grump here is softer than he looks. Don't let the glares fool you. In fact, he grew the beard because he thought he didn't look as scary anymore."

"Huh… really?" Raito asked, still trying to reconcile the stories he had heard with the actual man standing in his presence. "Sounds like someone else we know… beard aside, that is."

"_Are you making jokes about my father, you rascal?" _Aya couldn't help thinking.

"It's true." Kalinka said without a trace of sarcasm. "After Alyona was born, he was so happy one of his superiors thought he'd started hitting the bottle. Then again, that particular man was always a mudak."

"Your father would cry if he heard you talk like that." Laika lamented.

"My father's language is even worse when his favorite ice hockey team starts losing." she retorted with a smug grin. "It's the only thing that gets him that riled up. Well, that and my idiot brother."

It seemed to the others that they'd been having the same back and forth for many years.

"Wait a minute..." Raito realized, connecting the dots in his mind. "I'm sure I've seen your face somewhere before. Don't tell me you're Dr. Cossack's daughter."

"I'd be a little disappointed if you hadn't heard of me, given my previous occupation." Kalinka said, flashing a smile that could melt the most hardened of hearts.

"We knew he had at least one daughter, but I don't think either my father or my uncle Hub ever mentioned meeting you in person." Raito recalled.

"That said..." Maito added. "I remember seeing you in a few movies too. How did you go from that to engineering?"

"You'll find that that I am full of surprises." she said with a confident smile and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Much like your father and uncle, from what I hear."

"How did you two end up together anyway?" Maito asked without a hint of shame, trying not to grin as Laika struggled to look as serious as he could while trapped in his wife's bear hug.

"If you must know, I went out to watch one of her movies once." Laika said, touching his forehead with his fingertips. "I didn't think much of it at the time, and ended up saying so out loud. Guess who was sitting right next to me in disguise to avoid the paparazzi."

"So he dissed your work… and you got back at him by marrying him?" Raito asked, trying not to laugh as he looked at Kalinka.

"The story is a little longer than that, but I guess you could sum it up that way." Kalinka said, openly chuckling. "Not to mention that at the heights and depths we usually test our equipment in we're also much less likely to run into pests with cameras."

After about half an hour giving them a tour of the non-sensitive areas of the vessel and showing them the emergency evacuation procedures, the gruff Major-General led them to a section of the living quarters.

"I know this is different from what you are used to, being civilians and all, but I hope you'll be able to make yourselves comfortable." he said, slipping back into his professional soldier persona.

"I must confess that I am a bit surprised." Aya admitted, trying to find the right words to avoid sounding impolite. "When I thought about the prospect of boarding a submarine, I pictured cramped quarters and… air of questionable quality."

"Twenty or thirty years ago, you would have been correct." Laika said. "Thankfully, technology has allowed us to keep even a vessel of this size running with a fraction of the crew it would have required back then, which leaves more space for everyone… and a few more comforts."

"Intriguing." Shingo said pensively. "But what about security?"

"You mean to ask if everything from the mainframe to the toilets has exposed network ports that any idiot with a PET can break into?" Kalinka asked with an amused smile.

"I wouldn't have put it quite that way, but..." Shingo said, still getting used to the woman's bluntness.

"This is a brand new model." Kalinka said proudly. "None of that garbage here. The twins weren't the only ones who were frustrated with that stupid design philosophy, and the Day of Sigma definitely forced some serious changes."

"Well then..." Laika said. "You will find the key cards to each room in the nightstand drawer. We have spares, but try not to lose them. We passed the mess hall and the recreation room on the way here, so you know where they are and there are floor plans on the walls at regular intervals."

He then pointed at a device mounted on a nearby wall.

"If you need anything else, ask a crew member or use the intercom. You'll find one in each room. Intercom, not crew member. We're not running that kind of ship."

Once again, the others were impressed by his ability to crack a joke while looking and sounding perfectly serious.

"_And I thought my parents were weird..." _Raito thought, unaware of the fact that practically every child thought that of their own parents at some point.

"Thanks for the ride, by the way." Dex said.

"Just doing our part." Laika said dismissively.

Next to him, Chisao and GutsMan exchanged excited glances.

"Just doing my duty." Laika said dismissively. "And… trying to pay back the twins in some small form for everything they've done."

Moments later, as each of the team members headed to their own quarters, Chisao and GutsMan put their suitcases down, grabbed their reference cards and headed out.

"This place is huge!" Chisao said excitedly. "It was hard to get a feel for it from the outside."

"I know that look." GutsMan said. "Ya wanna go take another look around, right?"

"I'm still too excited about this whole thing to just stay cooped up in my room."

* * *

Meanwhile…

"At last..." Shingo said to himself with a grin so wide as to be unsettling as he closed the door behind him. "I've been looking forward to this..."

He set his backpack down, took off the coat he'd put on at his mother's insistence before leaving home, wiggled his fingers and reached into the backpack, pulling out a green handheld gaming device. He sat down on the bed, and turned the device. As the screen came to life his grin widened.

"It's time..." he muttered to himself. "I can feel it. Today I prove my mastery by beating you on EX Plus Ultra."

He dramatically lifted his right index finger and slowly brought it down on the start button.

"ENGAGE RIDLEY MOTHERF-"

He was cut off by the door opening and jumped to his feet in a startle, nearly dropping the handheld in the process.

"Ah!" he cried out involuntarily.

Then his expression turned from surprise to annoyance as he saw just who was peeking through the door.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Already stuffing yourself in your room?" Aya asked in her usual haughty manner, before leering suspiciously at him. "I do hope you will know how to conduct yourself appropriately."

"The hell are you going on about?!" he growled. "You're the one invading my personal space.

With that he sat back down and tried to ignore her, turning his attention back to his game.

"I don't have time for your crap right now." he said, fixating his gaze on the screen. "There are only six people in the world who have cleared this challenge and I intend to be the seventh."

"Of course you'd bring that thing along..." she groaned, rolling her eyes. "Are you seriously going to spend the entire trip glued to the screen?"

"What if I am? You're not my mother."

She looked like she was about to snap at him again, but caught herself in time, biting her lip.

"You are traveling overseas for the first time in your life." she said with a sigh. "Should you not be a little more interested in your surroundings?"

"I'll have plenty of time to do sightseeing when we get out of here." he said dismissively, trying to focus on his game. "The sub may be impressive, but I don't want to get in trouble for blundering into a restricted area. All the hallways look the same."

She sighed again, looking frustrated but trying to restrain herself.

"Listen… I have spoken with Mother about all of this and..."

"What, to complain about my manners?" he scoffed. "Isn't it rude to talk about people behind their backs?"

"Will you let me finish?" she hissed in annoyance before forcing herself to calm down again. "While we may technically be both at fault for last time… I do realize that my manner of speaking and approach can be… somewhat abrasive at times."

"You do seem to think everything can be solved with your family's ridiculous fortune." he said, looking a bit annoyed. "But I also hate the way I react to it. This isn't me."

"_You don't know the real me..." _he thought bitterly _"And you never will."_

"So..." she said hesitantly.

"I don't want to keep acting like this in front of my little sister, or making an ass of myself in public." he said evenly. "I know you and Maria are on good terms, and I don't have the right to interfere with that, but… maybe you should just keep your distance from me."

She looked as if she had been slapped in the face once she heard those words. Then her face turned red and she bared her teeth in a bout of fury.

"F-Fine, you ass!" she shouted, her formal eloquence gone out the window.

And with that, she stormed off, slamming the door behind her.

Outside, leaning with her back against a wall, Maria watched Aya storm out, but made no move to stop her.

"_Idiots..."_ she thought, rolling her eyes. _"Both of you..."_

About a minute later, Raito walked by and casually leaned against the wall next to her.

"Same as always?" he asked.

"Same as always." she said with a nod. "Damnit Patch, those two really drive me up the wall sometimes."

"I can tell." he said, crossing his arms. "I only ever hear you curse when they're involved."

"I suppose there's always the squirt bottle approach." she said with a slight grin.

"Tell me you didn't..." Raito said with a shudder.

"I need to learn all the tricks if I ever want to be a good teacher too." she said, smiling innocently. "But don't worry, I won't use it on you unless you give me a reason to."

"It's definitely scary how much you remind me of my mother sometimes..." he said with a sigh.

"I'll take that as a compliment." she retorted.

Left alone again, Shingo sighed loudly, turned off the handheld, stuffed it back into his backpack, then took off his shoes and rested his head on the pillow. Suddenly remembering he'd forgotten to take off his glasses, he did so, folded them and set them on the nightstand.

* * *

Elsewhere…

"_I got careless… Still… what the hell?"_

A pair of hands, clad in white gloves, shoved the rubble out of the way, revealing the sun's light above and a ravaged cityscape. A head, covered in a white hood, glanced around nervously.

"_There..."_

Faint breathing reached the figure's ears. Two people. A child and an adult. Faint. Weakening.

"_Not today."_

The figure darted to the right, prying more of the rubble out of the way with unnatural strength until a man and a little girl's prone figures became visible, seemingly unconscious or close enough that it would not make a difference. Average, unremarkable city dwellers in average, unremarkable clothes, likely enjoying a day off before the madness had begun.

"Live." his voice said, commanding and pleading in equal measure.

The gloved hands lit up with a strange white light that spread to their limp bodies. Wounds faded, breathing steadied. As they began to stir, the stranger silently dashed out of sight. By the time they opened their eyes or the emergency response teams arrived, he would be long gone.

"_I wasn't expecting something like this…" _

At the top of a building, overlooking the streets below, the stranger raised a fist, trembling with rage.

"_Oh, there will be hell to pay, mark my words."_

* * *

Back to the submarine…

For several hours, the Robot Masters had nothing to do, and so they chose to spend the time in various ways. Chisao and GutsMan thoroughly explored the vessel, getting lost a couple of times.

Meanwhile, Raito and Maito, ever inseparable, pestered Kalinka for stories about the old days while Maria asked questions about the technical aspects of the submarine carrier. Alyona answered what she could, revealing herself to be considerably knowledgeable about the various systems – almost as much as her mother.

In his quarters, Shingo finally woke up from his nap and tried to get back to his video game challenge, but found himself unable to focus.

"_It's all so damn ridiculous..." _he thought, lying face up on his bed, staring at the ceiling. _"It's like I can't function properly with her around."_

The source of his frustration, on the other hand, was trying to relax in her own quarters. Reaching into her backpack, she produced a sealed glass bottle with a pink drink and looked at it with glee.

"_I don't know how long it'll be until I can get more of these..." _she thought. _"Best to enjoy it now."_

And with that, she peeled off the seal and started sipping it slowly, trying to make it last.

"_Mother… __I can understand why you still drink this every day. It's the best thing ever!__"_

Then an alarm klaxon sounded, startling her out of her state of bliss and making her choke on the last gulp.

"_What?!" _she thought in alarm, coughing and quickly putting the bottle down on the nightstand.

The group quickly stopped whatever they were doing and converged on the bridge.

"What's going on?" Shingo asked, finding the cousins and Maria already there along with Laika and Kalinka.

"Have a look." Laika said, pointing at the largest display set in front of them. The shoreline near their destination was in clear view, along with a swarm of humanoid robots, already in a skirmish with local forces. Their design was unmistakable.

"They're here." Dex growled as he caught up with them and saw the image, already in his red piloting suit and adjusting the gloves, looking absolutely fired up.

"How did you get changed so fast?" Maito asked.

"I guess you could say I pulled a Clark Kent." Dex said with a grin.

"You've been wearing that under your clothes all this time?" Maria asked with a shocked look. "Gross! It must be all sweaty and smelly by now!"

"This wouldn't happen if we had a proper henshin." GutsMan chimed in out of nowhere. A moment later, though, he found himself recoiling and covering his nose.

"We don't have time for this." Chisao said with a sigh, planting the palm of his hand on his face. "To the hangar!"

He then glared at Dex.

"And you, go take a shower and change into a spare suit. I'm not letting you in the cockpit smelling like that."

"B-But!" Dex protested. "We get way sweatier than this when we go out trainin'!"

"We could be away from the lab for weeks." Chisao countered. "If you stink up the cockpit now, it'll take ages before we can clean it properly. Go on!"

"_Even after all these years..." _Chisao thought as he watched Dex run down the hall with the look of a child who had just been grounded. _"My big brother can still be such a goofball sometimes."_

Without wasting time changing into their uniforms, the rest of the Robot Masters quickly followed Laika into the hangar entrance and boarded their machines. Each of them was stored in a separate chamber and as they finished sealing the hatches and starting up the systems, each individual chamber was sealed by a pair of thick sliding doors and water poured in from the outside. With a pneumatic hiss, each machine was launched out of a tube on the underside of the massive submarine, much like a torpedo.

"Battle routine, set!" Raito shouted.

"Execute!" Maito added.

Meanwhile, Laika headed to a different chamber and contacted the bridge through an earpiece concealed on his left ear.

"Deployment underway." he said. "Prepare covering fire for their grand entrance. XO, you have the bridge."

As the other machines launched behind the X-1, Laika walked on, replacing the earpiece with a larger one he pulled out of his pocket, with a white plastic panel covering the entire ear and a square monocle made of translucent green plastic. He pushed a small button on the side and the device came to life.

"Eto shou-vremya… moy brat." he said as he stood in front of one particular launch tube, locked with a biometric identification system.

"Pora!" a gruff male voice inside replied excitedly.

The X-1 led the charge, with the Drill and Thunder Machines flanking him and Maria hanging slightly back in the Gemini.

"I can do this..." she muttered to herself. "Everyone's counting on us!"

"Don't overdo it." NumberMan cautioned, his face appearing on one of the monitors. "Remember, it's all about teamwork. The others have your back."

"I know..." she said, once again going from timid schoolgirl to resolute neophyte pilot. "But I won't settle for giving less than my all!"

In the bridge…

"Well then..." Kalinka said as she sat on the main control chair and gripped the armrests. "Let's get started."

Alyona nodded and took over the weapon controls. Kalinka assisted with the targeting from her post and in a matter of seconds the two knew where to strike. Just as they prepared to do so, however, they felt a shockwave rippling through the waters. Some of the alien machines had apparently spotted the submarine and were launching rockets at it.

"Yob tvoyu mat!" Alyona shouted as she pulled the trigger on a joystick, firing a pair of missiles from vertical tubes concealed along the sides of the craft.

The missiles quickly rose above the water's surface, but rather than seeking individual targets they instead split open, releasing a cloud of smaller spherical projectiles. The proximity sensors detonated the charges and the sky above the submarine ignited into a fiery roar, ripping six enemy robots to shreds and sending their debris tumbling into the ocean. Meanwhile, the Robot Masters reached the shore, unscathed and undetected.

"Thirty-four in the area..." Raito read the count from the radar display as the X-1 broke into a dash. "And six down."

"Let's go." Maito said, already building up a charge in the Buster.

With her mood fouled after choking on the last bottle of strawberry flavored milk she would likely get to enjoy in the next several days, Aya increased the power output on the Spark Machine and snatched the lead, pointing a finger at the nearest enemy.

"Eat this!" she shouted. "Chain Spark!"

A concentrated burst of electricity shot out of the Spark Machine's hand, striking her target and arcing to two others that were standing too close. They seized up for a moment, letting out puffs of smoke, but after a few seconds they straightened up and pointed their rifles at her.

"That wasn't enough?" she growled. "Have another! Chain-"

"Watch it!" Raito shouted, as the X-1 unleashed a huge blue blast, blowing off the arm of another machine that was taking aim at her with what appeared to be a rocket launcher.

Aya clenched her teeth and quickly tried to dodge the barrage of retaliatory fire. While she was partially successful, borrowing inspiration from her ballet lessons, a few shots still found their mark and she hastily brought up her machine's arms over the chest, trying to shield herself. The Spark Machine's arms shuddered, but there was little visible damage apart from a few scorch marks.

"_Thank goodness for that Titanium X..."_ she thought, realizing she'd allowed herself to get a little carried away._ "Best not to push it though." _

Ignoring her antics, Shingo pressed the offensive.

"_So if I read the manual right… it should go like this..."_

The Drill Machine's right arm reached for the drill mounted on its shoulder and its base partially detached, pivoting until it revealed an opening the perfect size for the fist and forearm to fit in.

"There we go..." he muttered to himself with a satisfied grin as the two parts loudly clicked together.

He pointed the Drill Machine's arm forward and took a deep breath.

"BOOST KNUCKLE!" he cried out as he gripped the controls, puffing his chest.

The forearm detached itself and flew forward, propelled by a set of concealed thrusters on the outer surface with the drill already spinning. It punched straight through the chest of one of the machines and another one standing behind it, then turned around, obediently reattaching itself.

"_Well, that happened..." _Raito thought, wondering what exactly his father and uncle had been doing in the lab.

"Eyes on the ball!" his cousin shouted as the X-1 started peppering the opposition with more of the smaller yellow energy shots.

Maria seized the opening next, starting to get in the spirit of things.

"Time to try this one out…"

The Gemini Machine raised its open hands, pressed the palms together and swept its arms down in a slicing motion.

"Crescent Cutter!" she cried out as an aptly named orange energy wave in a crescent shape shot forward, bisecting an enemy machine from top to bottom slightly off center, barely missing the area where she would have expected to find the cockpit.

As the two halves fell apart, she inhaled sharply.

"Don't worry." NumberMan chimed in. "Unmanned too. I'll tag the manned ones on your HUD so you don't keep getting those scares."

"Why didn't you think of that sooner?!" she protested, before letting out a sharp breath and placing a hand over her heart.

"Sorry…" NumberMan said placatingly. "I've been crunching some numbers. Going over the tactical data from the previous engagement. There we go."

And with that, the data on her display was updated with clear markers, showing a red skull over the image of each manned machine. The data was then forwarded to the other Robot Masters from the Gemini Machine.

"_Definitely a lot of drones..."_ Raito pondered. _"Even if they suck, there are still too many!"_

They were making a dent in the enemy numbers, and the local forces were somehow holding their own despite only having tanks and let fighters, but the enemy numbers were still too great for their taste. An Ameropan Union fighter suddenly tumbled down from the sky, with a wing blown off. The pilot ejected just in the nick of time, but the plane was completely ruined in the crash.

"Don't we have anything else here?!" Raito shouted in frustration. "Just the pea shooter and the charged shot?!"

"Didn't you read the damn manual?!" Maito shouted back incredulously.

* * *

The evening after their first engagement…

"The X-1 is definitely cool..." Maito said. "But it feels like there's something missing."

"Something like… extra punch, maybe?" Lan asked with a knowing smile.

"I don't want to diss your hard work but… yeah..."

"There's more to it than meets the eye." Lan said with a rather smug look on his face. "Each of these machines has its own quirks and strengths, but… if you use it right, yours can be just as impressive as the others."

"Huh?"

"Patch was supposed to go over things with you one last time. I guess he didn't." Lan concluded. "I made… a few more adjustments after the last simulator session. Managed to get some more things working."

Then he shook his head.

"I love your cousin more than I can put into words, but he can be as much of an airhead as I was at his age." Lan said with a smirk as he pulled a small tablet out of one of the pockets of his labcoat.

"He forgot that in the meeting room before we launched, didn't he?" Maito grumbled, guessing what had happened.

"Yeah. So do yourself and him a favor and read the whole manual. Especially this part..."

* * *

Back to the present…

"Use the Variable Weapons System, you doofus!" Maito said.

"The what?" Raito asked, a little dumbfounded.

"The big red option on the touch screen?"

* * *

Meanwhile…

"Damnit damnit damnit!" Dex shouted as he ran into the hangar in a fresh change of clothes, still dripping water from what had to be the quickest shower in recorded human history.

As he made it into the hangar, he found the Guts Machine still waiting for him.

"Huh?"

"Did you think we were going to leave you here, you big lug?" Chisao asked with a smirk. "Get in."

"_How the tables have turned..." _GutsMan thought in amusement, trying to suppress a smirk on his synthetic face. _"Who's the big brother now?"_

"Just for the record..." Chisao added with a stern look on his face as Dex hastily strapped himself in. "If you do that again, we'll go on without you."

As soon as the hatches were sealed, the Guts Machine quickly launched as well, scrambling to catch up with the others.

"Whoa..." Raito mouthed off as he saw what looked like a list of some sort on the screen. It seemed extremely incomplete, but he recognized some of the names.

"Hey!" he cried out in surprise. "What's the Spark Shock doing here? And the Gemini Beam?"

"Uncle Lan was right." Maito grumbled. "You really are an airhead."

"Huh?"

"Just pick one and shoot!" Maito grumbled, planting the palm of his hand on his face.

Still oblivious to what was happening due to his lapse in attention, but trusting his cousin completely, Raito picked the Gemini Beam option and pushed the confirmation button. Some sort of gauge appeared on the screen next to the menu and they heard the hum of another system powering up.

"Here goes nothing..." Raito muttered as he pulled the trigger.

From the Buster came neither an energy pellet nor a charged shot, but a crimson beam. It struck two unmanned machines, frying the electronics inside, and crippled the arm of a third one before its energy ran out.

"Do you get it now?" Maito asked. "The Variable Weapons System can scan and copy weapons that have been used in our battles. The copies may not be as powerful as the original weapons just yet, but this system turns the X-1 into a Swiss army knife."

"How…?" Raito asked as they hopped to the side to dodge a damaged Ameropan Union fighter that was attempting an emergency landing.

"Just read the damn manual once we're done here."

Meanwhile, two of the alien robots were advancing towards a blocky tank. With the engine block ruined, the crew had no time to get away. Just then, a pair of massive metal fists, painted red, flew forth from the waterside, crushing the midsection of the two machines. One, unmanned, fell inert, while the cockpit ejected from the other's midsection.

"D-Devils!" a garbled voice cried out through the radio with an almost mechanical intonation.

"Neither gods or devils!" Chisao roared as the Guts Machine came into view.

"Real men!" Dex added before the fists darted back, slapping the cockpit along the way as if swatting a fly, knocking the emergency thrusters offline and sending it tumbling into the sand.

"What the hell happened to not shooting cockpits?!" Raito cried out in outrage.

"He'll live." GutsMan said. "But he ain't goin' anywhere."

"Confirmed." NumberMan chimed in while the Gemini Machine blasted another target's head. "Target is disabled. Vitals are stable. On another note, tactical analysis is complete."

"And?" Aya asked while she fired a Spark Shock with each hand and then rolled out of the way of an incoming rocket. The Guts Machine moved in to assist and body slammed the offending enemy, before pulverizing its head with a single punch.

"Based on my analysis, the manned machines would not have the processing power to control so many unmanned ones simultaneously."

The Guts Brothers still kept going, grabbing another enemy machine and unceremoniously swinging it at two others like a club.

"Keep it short please!" Shingo chimed in as he aimed a Drill Missile and let it loose, knowing how verbose NumberMan could get at times.

The missile missed its target, and he hastily corrected his aim and fired another one just as the enemy machine prepared to launch a rocket in his direction. Far more successful, the second missile struck the launcher, detonating the payload and blowing the wielder's arm and head clean off.

"There must be a command unit in the area." NumberMan summarized. "If we take it down..."

"We stop the drones!" Raito concluded, paying full attention after the scolding from his cousin. A hail of the strange blue projectiles darted towards the X-1 but the machine rolled forward, ducking under them, then peppered the enemy responsible with Buster shots.

The battle raged on all around them, and they knew that with numbers on their side it was only a matter of time until the invaders overpowered the local troops.

"Is that the best this rock has to offer?!" a strange voice taunted through the airwaves with the same nearly mechanical intonation as the previous alien.

"Thanks for running your mouth and giving away your position." Laika muttered to himself as his eyepiece lit up. "There!"

A tremendous thunderclap, much like the sound of a cannon, echoed through the battlefield, and the head of the machine leading the enemy formation from further inland exploded into pieces. Startled, Maria cried out and moved her own machine into cover.

There was no ejection this time. It appeared that this model's cockpit was located in the head… which had been completely obliterated.

"What was that?!" Raito shouted.

"Target's plans have been overridden." Laika said, completely deadpan.

A tall humanoid machine with slender limbs stood atop a cliff on the other side of the bay, toting an oversized sniper rifle. Its body was covered in green and black camouflage paint and its head was shaped like a helmeted soldier with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, with its thin face in a perpetual smirk. A large black tarp was draped over its chest and shoulders, still dripping water.

"Mess with my family or these children..." Laika said with a contemptuous snarl. "And you eat a compressed tungsten bullet at hypersonic speed."

"Your father sure knows how to make an entrance." Kalinka said with a gleeful smile as she reclined on the chair with her legs crossed. At the same time, the main screen mounted in front of the chair zoomed in on the green robot's face.

"Alyona… there are three projects that are my pride and joy." she added, sweeping her hand for emphasis. "You, the Morskoy Lev and… the Seeker!"

"Well, that takes care of the command unit..." Maito said, glancing around nervously. "But why aren't they stopping?"

"Unless…" Maria realized. "There's another!"

"There's something else here..." NumberMan said, going over the sensor readings. "It's coming in from the east… at Mach 3."

"What?" Shingo asked incredulously.

"It's carving through the enemy line!" NumberMan said. "Coming this way!"

"Well, let's go!" GutsMan shouted, taking point as the group charged forward.

"What the hell is that?!" Dex cried out, spotting a strange white construct in the distance as it finished cutting down another command unit with a rather large sword and then dismissed it in a flash of golden light. A moment later, the remaining unmanned units fell inert, frozen in place.

"I don't know what that is, but it doesn't look like a friend of those aliens." Raito noted.

Maito nodded and opened a communications channel, figuring it was worth a try.

"Uh, who's there?" he called out.

"I know that voice..." the pilot inside said, turning the construct to face the group.

As the Apotheosis came into full view, Maria was unable to suppress a shudder.

"_That thing… is a bit creepy..." _she thought nervously.

As trained martial artists, Dex and his brothers had a different reaction.

"_What is this pressure?" _Chisao thought, instinctively tensing up. Looking at the other two, he knew they were thinking the same thing.

"Maito Hikari..." Atreus said fondly. "Has it been two years already?"

Simultaneously, watching the feed from the Robot Masters' onboard and cockpit cameras beamed through a satellite uplink, Lan and Hub exchanged incredulous glances.

"What the hell is he doing there?" Lan muttered.

"It's almost as if they were… drawn to each other." Hub contemplated.

"There's still too much we don't understand about that damn machine..." Lan lamented. "Those two inside probably have something to do with this."

Lan reached for the computer console in front of him and pushed a button. In a brief instant another connection was established.

"We found him… or you could say he found the others somehow."

"What?" Ciel asked incredulously from her end.

"And he's still not answering our calls!" a frustrated Amelia chimed in through another channel. "What the hell?!"

"Maybe there's something wrong with that thing?" Lan suggested. "He's able to talk to the others just fine. Let me forward the stream to you."

"Atreus?!" Raito called out in disbelief. "What are you doing here? And what's that thing?"

"Wait..." Aya realized. "Aunt Ciel's boy? That Atreus?"

"I definitely wasn't expecting to find you here..." Atreus said as he opened a video link. "So these Robot Masters I've been hearing about… that's you?"

Seeing that the others recognized the stranger, Maria allowed herself to relax. Still, something felt off to her.

"_How does someone so soft-faced end up piloting something so scary? I mean, he's no Raito, but..."_

Then, suddenly realizing what had just gone through her mind, she covered her face.

"Looks like word's already getting around." Raito said, puffing his chest. "But what are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" Atreus retorted with a shrug. "Probably the same as you by the looks of it. Admittedly, it looks like I got... a little carried away."

"A little?" Raito asked incredulously. "It looks like you crossed half an ocean and a whole continent."

"I was never one for half-measures." Atreus said, looking a little embarrassed. "You know that."

The fact that he'd been juggling the thrill of flight and the outrage at the invaders had definitely not helped things, but he held his tongue, deciding he'd made enough of a fool of himself for the time being.

"What's with the robot?" Maito asked. "I definitely don't remember hearing about that."

"Robot?!" the Father scoffed. "Pah! Do not compare this magnificent construct to your crude machinery!"

"Is someone else in there with you?" Aya asked, a little confused.

"It's… complicated." Atreus said. "Can we have this conversation elsewhere? I'd rather not get interrupted by more aliens or the local military getting nosy. They almost shot at me a few times along the way."

"Can you hear me?" Lan called out. To his surprise, there was no reply.

"I smell a rat." Hub said, furrowing his brow. "Try routing it through one of the other machines."

Lan did exactly that and then called out again.

"Atreus? Can you hear me?"

"Ah." Atreus said with a polite nod, but still looking considerably confused. "I hope you're doing well, Professor. But why did nobody tell me about this whole Robot Masters thing?"

"That's not what you should be worried about right now." Lan said with a frown.

"You do realize that your family has been trying to contact you for almost two days, right?" Hub pointed out.

"What?!" Atreus asked incredulously. "I thought it was strange that I couldn't reach them… But how are you even talking to me then?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say there's something blocking you from receiving signals past a certain range." Hub pondered. "But why?"

"You didn't!" the Son cried out indignantly. "You cantankerous old goat..."

His counterpart did not reply.

Then it was Atreus' turn to get ticked off as he realized what had happened.

"If that's how it's going to be, then fine, stay quiet." he growled. "I'll just walk."

"Wait..." the Father said.

"Ah, so now you can talk?!" Atreus snapped. "What the hell?!"

"You needed to tune out all distractions and focus on the-" the Father tried to say before being cut off.

"Shut up." Atreus retorted indignantly. "If you need me so badly, then you should know better than to abuse my trust like that. Unblock the line this instant!"

"Do it." the Son insisted. "Do it or I'm never speaking to you again. And I mean it this time!"

"Finally!" Amelia said with a huff as her face appeared on the screen. "What's the big idea mister?!"

"You know I wouldn't consciously ignore you Sis." Atreus said, a little taken aback by her outburst. "Someone here has been playing games with us all."

"We were all worried about you, you dummy!"

"I'm sorry." Atreus said, lowering his head. "I don't know what exactly is going on here, but it will not happen again."

He then glared at the consoles, for lack of something better.

"Are we clear?!"

"I had no idea what was going on either." the Son said. "My apologies."

"But..." Atreus pondered. "What do we do now? Where do we go from here?"

"Your mother was worried sick about you." Cadmus said as he stepped into view. "As were we all. We had hopes that you would team up with the Robot Masters eventually, but… not exactly like this."

"We know you wouldn't just run off like that without reason." Ciel said, visibly relieved.

Then her expression stiffened.

"That's another item on the conversation I'll need to have with a certain someone. Lack of manners and being an impulsive jerk who likes stupid pranks."

"A conversation I will most definitely join." the Son added, clearly disappointed.

"So what now?" Raito asked, a little hopeful. "Are you going home, or..."

"Since we're all on the same side, why not stick with us?" Maito suggested.

"And while we're at it, maybe we can figure out what's going on with that crazy thing you're flying." Chisao pondered.

"_That thing follows a completely different design philosophy from the Robot Masters..." _Shingo pondered, straightening his glasses as he dissected the newcomer with his gaze. _"It's definitely strong, but… what was that weird feeling? And what are those things? AIs? Why have two of them?"_

"Sir?" Alyona called out, trying to keep at least the appearance of military decorum with an outsider present.

"Let him in." Laika said, lowering his rifle. "He's one of us."

Unnoticed by Atreus, on one of the displays, a second red orb lit up.

The Robot Masters returned to the submarine, guiding their new companion to the access hatch. Tired, but proud, they disembarked from their machines. Going inside after everyone else, Atreus took a few steps out of the hangar bay and reached with his arm, leaning against the nearest wall. He found the newcomers waiting for him, but looked too tired to continue the conversation from earlier.

"You OK there?" Raito asked.

"I think I need to lie down a bit." Atreus said as the fatigue of being up and about for over twenty-four hours finally caught up with him.

"_He even looks like a bigger softy up close."_ Maria pondered. _"And so tall!"_

"Come." the gruff Major-General said, snapping him out of his daze. "We have plenty of vacant quarters. Rest. We'll talk later."

* * *

Elsewhere…

"What do you want now?" a woman asked, with a cultured accent and a tired, exasperated tone.

"The Director would like to see you." a cold male voice said.

"I don't assume I have a choice in the matter..." the woman retorted.

"You do. But I guarantee it is in your best interest to accept."

"Are you threatening me?" she hissed.

"Merely stating facts."

The woman sighed.

"Fine." she grumbled. "Lead the way."

"Thank you for your cooperation." the man said without a hint of sarcasm.

Footsteps echoed. A door closed. After a few minutes, another door opened and the sound of hesitant footsteps was cushioned by carpeting and a door closed.

"You?!" the woman cried out in complete shock. "It can't be!"

"I'm afraid you're mistaking me for someone else, Doctor." a second woman replied, with a soft but firm voice, carrying a hint of steel.

"I find that difficult to believe." the first woman said, almost accusingly. "Yours is not a face that can be easily forgotten. What the hell happened to you?"

"As I said, you are mistaken." the second woman insisted. "Though yes, there is a certain… resemblance. But tell me. Are the current lodgings satisfactory? We do not often have guests."

"You mean that bloody cell passing for a room?" the woman growled. "What game are you playing here? And where is my husband?!"

"He is being tended to." the second woman said calmly. "While you escaped relatively unscathed, I'm afraid he suffered a bit of a concussion. His arm required some attention as well. It would seem that he tried to shield you from the debris."

Then an intercom buzzed.

"Hades." the second woman called.

"Yes, Director?" the man from earlier replied.

"Show the good doctor to the infirmary please."

"Yes, Director."

"Oh… and one more thing." the second woman said.

"Yes Director?"

"I have a new mission for you tomorrow. I will give you the details later."

"Yes Director."


	5. The Prometheus Group

Chapter 5 – The Prometheus Group

"**If there's one thing I've always believed with all my heart – aside from the fact that upsetting your childhood friend from next door is like playing with fire – it's that people can change. Whether or not they choose to is another story, but that's up to them. **

**I've seen hardened criminals and evil masterminds turn their lives around. A few of them even became some of my closest and dearest friends. Sometimes people just need someone to break them out of their cycle of destructive behavior… and knock some sense into them. I can't deny how satisfying it feels to know how much their lives improved in later years… but I've had my share of surprises as well."**

**\- Draft of Lan Hikari's memoirs, working title A Boy and His Navi**

**Addendum – List of possible titles**

**Soaring Past the Wind – Too pretentious. Sounds like theme song material though. Save for later.**

**As the Story Goes – Too generic.**

**Life With My Immortal Brother – Something about this just rubs me the wrong way…**

**Heart of Gold, Head of Lead – Sounds like something Mayl would say (and it's mostly true) but no."**

The day after the battle at Sunset Coast...

"_So this is the place..."_ the man thought to himself as he strolled along the well kept sidewalk, past the recently renovated children's playground and a house that by the looks of it had been locked for several years.

He surveyed his surroundings with red eyes and adjusted the black hat over his head, adorned with impeccably trimmed silver hair. It was difficult to gauge his age, but the face suggested he was somewhere between the twenties and thirties. The suit he was wearing, black as well, with matching shoes, looked more expensive than a year's salary, elegantly designed, but not crossing the boundaries of pretentiousness.

"_Funny how things turn out..." _he thought as he kept walking in a slow, measured pace, making his way to a pair of two floor houses, one with a blue roof and the other with a pink one, both freshly painted white and sharing a fence that joined both their front yards together.

"_And this is where they've been living all these years..." _he mused, his facial expression betraying the barest sliver of his amusement. _"How quaint. How modest. How… fitting..."_

Hub Hikari – formerly one of the heads of SciLab and currently co-director of the independent branch dubbed the Hikari Laboratory and one of the mentors of the Robot Masters unit – was lounging on a reclining chair on the lawn of the house he had shared with his wife and children for the better part of two decades, wearing a simple white t-shirt, a golden ring on his left ring finger, a pair of blue shorts and a pair of brown sandals, looking as common and normal as humanly possible. As humanly possible.

In times past, the world had known him by another name and by deeds that were still the stuff of legend. His life had changed by leaps and bounds, and despite the rough start and some tribulations, he considered himself blessed, soaking in the sun on a warm summer day, enjoying a break from his duties and the horrible alien invasion and international bickering.

He felt a sudden chill in the air, for some reason. As he opened his brown eyes and sat up, he saw the suited stranger. There was something odd about the man, something awfully familiar, though he was sure he had never met someone with quite those exact features and that taste in clothing.

"_Oh, this is just perfect..." _the stranger thought as he tried to process what he was getting himself into. _"After all these years, this is where I find you… MegaMan..."_

"Can I help you?" Hub asked, noticing the stranger staring at him as he edged closer in his slow, methodical pace.

"I'm looking for a Dr. Hikari." the stranger said, playing ignorant.

"You'll have to be a little more specific than that." Hub said with a coy smile. "Last time I checked, we had three of those, and at least two more aren't too far off."

"_He really has no idea, does he?" _the man thought, baffled and amused in equal measure. _"Has it really been this long? Has he really changed that much… or have I?"_

"I do believe I have the right one." the man said, calm and collected as he reached into his breast pocket and produced a business card, which he presented between two fingers. "My card."

Hub accepted it with both hands, as customary of business etiquette and read it.

**Hades Sardonicus**

**Head of Security and Strategic Advisor**

**Prometheus Group**

Hub did not recognize any of the names on it. On the upper right corner of the card he also saw an unfamiliar insignia – a golden hand with clawed fingers, gripping a crimson flame.

"_I still can't believe that woman..."_ the stranger thought with a hint of annoyance, hidden beneath an impassive face as he watched Hub read the card.

"So what can I do for you, Mr… Sardonicus?" Hub asked, finding the name silly, almost like a poorly thought alias, but not wanting to offend the stranger in case it was his actual name.

"I have matters to discuss with you and your brother. Would this be a convenient time?"

"Well, my brother hasn't arrived yet, but he should be here soon." Hub said as he rose from the reclining chair. "Why don't we wait for him inside?"

The man calling himself Hades found himself in the living room of a typical suburban family home. Two women, seemingly sisters and both of them stunningly beautiful by any standards, were sitting on the couch, watching a nature documentary while sipping lemonade with straws from large glasses with ice, a large jug resting on the coffee table in front of the couch. They were both wearing simple, matching sleeveless pink dresses and slippers.

One of the women had smooth hair of a very distinctive shade of pink, cascading down her back and a pair of soft brown eyes. It seemed that life had been kind to her, as though she showed some clear signs of motherhood, she had not lost her physical fitness. A platinum band adorned her left ring finger, shining brightly.

The second woman, with a face bearing a very striking resemblance to the first, had golden hair, also smooth and flowing, and lively green eyes with a mischievous twinkle despite her age. She too looked fit and full of life. A gold band adorned her left ring finger, identical to the one he had seen on the lounging scientist's finger.

"_This day is just full of surprises..."_ the man thought, relishing in the absurd irony of the situation._ "Would they be so relaxed if they had any idea who they__'ve just__ invited into their home?_

"Oh. Hello." the blonde woman said with a smile, only then noticing him. "I am Roll Hikari and this is my sister Mayl. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, madams." Hades replied with a polite nod. "Please, no need to get up on my account."

"My brother has been somewhat delayed..." Hub said apologetically as he stepped into the living room, placing a cellphone on a small table. "I'm afraid he won't be here for another hour or so."

"I can always come back later." Hades said earnestly.

"_Probably working overtime." _Hades thought. _"Those aliens have been relatively quiet in this region since they got their asses kicked, so he must be planning something new in the downtime."_

"If you have time, why not wait here with us?" Hub suggested.

"I don't mean to impose..." Hades said hesitantly.

"Think nothing of it." Hub said, with one of his trademark smiles.

"_I can't sense any malice from him..."_ Hub thought as he discreetly called upon his senses. _"At least not directed at any of us… But why do I get this nagging feeling that I've seen him before?"_

"_That woman has a strange sense of humor..."_ Hades thought, hiding his annoyance.

While we're waiting, feel free to make yourself comfortable in the living room." Hub offered.

"Thank you. May I use the bathroom for a minute?"

Hub nodded and pointed him in the right direction.

"Right that way."

"Thank you."

Hades headed inside, closed the door and splashed some cold water on his face before looking at himself in the mirror.

"_Being here… like this… just feels so weird..."_ he thought.

A minute later, he stepped back outside. It appeared his host had gone somewhere else, but he found someone new in the living room with the two women.

"_I can't believe this..."_ Hades thought.

In front of him stood a small girl with golden hair in pigtails and big brown eyes, wearing a hairpin in the shape of a flower. She was wearing a pink dress and her feet were covered in blue socks as she sat on the mat playing with what appeared to be action figures, seemingly based on a few Navis the world was all too familiar with. Despite the changes in the previous two decades, their designs were still a favorite with children and even some adults. One of them in particular seemed to draw his attention.

"Hey mister!" she called out. "Will you play with me?"

Once again, he found himself baffled. He tried to say something, but the girl looked at him much in the way a puppy would and he found himself doing just that, playacting battles of old with the action figures. The girl laughed in delight at having a new playmate, especially one who knew all the characters and was able to call out the exact attack names on the spot.

About half an hour later, as she fell asleep on the mat, he looked at the black action figure in his hand for a moment before putting it down.

"_Unbelievable..."_

Unbeknownst to any of them, someone else was watching their exchange. In the household's cyberspace, a beautiful woman with a soft, gentle face was floating in the air, her brow furrowed in a suspicious expression as her green eyes studied the newcomer. Her light brown hair cascaded down her back, ornamented at the temples by a matching pair of pink hairpins in the shape of butterflies. Her slender figure was clad in a flowing purple dress with a light pink skirt, while her feet, clad in dark purple shoes, floated above the pathways. Her entire body was suffused in a soft nimbus of golden light.

"_Now what could he be doing here?"_ she silently pondered, running her index finger down her chin. _"Especially after all these years..."_

She raised her hand and conjured an odd golden orb, seemingly out of nowhere. A moment later, it floated into the air and took a stationary position above her.

"_Hub is no fool. I'm sure he already suspects something is amiss by now. Still, it can't hurt to take precautions..."_

She then glared at the newcomer.

"_I don't know what game you're playing, but I will allow it… for now. But if you lay a single finger on any of them..."_

And with that, she disappeared in a flash of multicolored butterflies, seemingly made of light, leaving the golden orb behind.

After her unexpected revival and fulfilling her new duties, she had been adrift for a time.

For twenty years she had watched over the Hikari family, knowing fully well that her old crush could never be reciprocated, but not caring as long as the kind, brave boys she had met so long before stayed safe and happy. With the Cyberworld rid of threats, there was really not much else for her to do. She had tried traveling, enriching her mind with works of art and science, but she always ended up at the same place sooner or later. After all, she reasoned, she had all the time in the world. Though she could try to find happiness elsewhere, for the time being witnessing theirs was enough.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Hikari Laboratory…

"No no no..." an increasingly frustrated Lan muttered to himself as he went over some schematics on the computer in his office. "This isn't it."

He was already at his fourth mug of coffee and didn't want to risk a fifth. The taste he had acquired in his younger days was a double-edged sword and the only reason he hadn't developed an addiction was probably the nanites still coursing through his body after twenty years. The same nanites he had eventually borrowed inspiration from when designing the Variable Weapons System, which drew upon a secondary reactor and a specialized computer and sensor array mounted on the X-1 to gather data on weapons used in the field and generate replicas on the fly. Still, the system was incomplete, imperfect.

"_With a higher power output, it could..."_ he pondered as he reached into a drawer on his desk and pulled out a strange metallic bead with a coppery tint that glittered like fire under the lights. _"Yes… and this may also be the answer to some other limitations. __But not by itself.__"_

He looked around his office, relatively spartan, with white walls, floor and ceiling, its only ornaments being family pictures on the desk and walls. Other than his desk, two secondary consoles were set against the walls on each side and three flat screen displays were mounted on adjustable stands attached to the desk. One was displaying the schematics he was working on, while another played a continuous series of the selfsame shows his old friend Dex had introduced him to so many years prior, with the sound muted. Despite their age, he still found a cheesy, irresistible charm to them, and on occasion they would provide flashes of inspiration. On the third screen, to his right, he was running a string of diagnostics on the Robot Masters' machines, with NumberMan's processing power assisting in the task of sifting through the massive quantities of data being forwarded to the computers.

In his tired state, he recalled one particular conversation he'd had some time before.

* * *

Three months prior...

"You're probably wondering how I was able to put all of this together, right?" Lan asked.

"I do have some questions, yes." Raito said.

"In part, you can thank Dr. Wily for that."

"You mean Regal's dad? What does he have to do with this?"

"Back in the day, he and your great-grandfather Tadashi used to work together at SciLab. They were the best of friends for a time, until they had a difference of opinion. Wily wanted to push for robotics research while your great-grandfather thought network technology was the future. When Wily's project was ignored by the people in charge… he didn't take it well."

"And that's how he ended up a wanted terrorist?" Raito asked.

"There's more to it than that." Lan said with a frown. "Yes, he thought his research was vital and took it very personally. But he also saw the dangers in network technology. For all the stupid things he did, he was right in some regards."

"What do you mean?"

"Back then, people went a little crazy with the whole Cyberworld thing." Lan explained with a sigh. "Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING was connected to the global network. From top secret government mainframes to air purifiers and toilets."

"Toilets?!" Raito interjected. "Really?!"

"Yeah… Even things that weren't accessible directly were still connected to local public networks… and security was a complete joke. Any idiot with a PET could crash a plane, shut down power plants and water treatment systems… and even mess with weather control systems and cause huge blizzards and worse."

"Crash a…"

"Yes. That's how Alex's father lost both parents." Lan recalled bitterly. "You've seen how Sean is now, so you wouldn't believe how he used to be when I first met him. So lost. So angry at everything."

Raito stayed silent, unsure what to say.

"He doesn't like talking about it." Lan said. "After all these years he's finally at peace and has a family of his own. Best to leave that in the past where it belongs."

"But anyway…" he added, shifting the conversation to a less somber topic. "Even though many of Wily's designs were older than me, they were still pretty inspired. When he passed on, he left me all the research notes from back then, as a memento of the days when he and your great-grandfather were the best of friends."

"So in a way, you're continuing the work those two started, before they went their separate ways." Raito said, slightly perking up.

* * *

Back to the present...

"_I need a break..." _Lan realized, feeling fatigue catching up to him. While the nanites considerably enhanced his physical strength, speed and stamina – and kept him healthy as an Olympic athlete – they had their limits, and his mind was beginning to drift away.

"Go home, you dummy." a woman's voice suddenly scolded. "If you keep this up, you'll miss your own children's weddings one day."

He glanced around and on monitor showing the muted footage from the old giant robot shows just moments prior he instead found a woman's face staring disapprovingly at him.

"Sometimes I wonder if you're stalking me…" he said, attempting a joke but losing the impetus halfway due to sheer fatigue. "But you're right… Iris."

"Of course I am." she replied, her expression softening. "And don't even think of driving in that state. Autopilot only. I'll be watching."

"Of course, o mighty Cyberworld Goddess." he said playfully. "I wouldn't want you to bring your mighty wrath down upon my coffee maker."

"Don't tempt me." she said, wagging a finger at him. "You know you should cut back on that stuff. Now go on, shoo. I'd better not see you here again before tomorrow morning."

"Heh. Gotcha. And thanks for keeping an eye out for me."

He could have easily installed a small bed and a bathroom adjacent to his office, but he had decided against it, remembering his own father's long work binges and not wanting to subject his family to that. Instead, he switched off the monitors, picked up his cup and exited the office, leaving the computer processing the data. He locked his office door with a biometric security system and walked down the halls, stopping by the break room just long enough to put the cup in a dishwasher.

With his last task completed, he made his way outside. Iris followed his path through the security cameras, and as he walked by the reception area, sure enough, she spotted a familiar lab assistant. As he walked past her line of sight, Iris once again saw the girl's eyes fixate on him and her face turn into an expression of pure adoration – which went completely unnoticed by him.

"_This again..." _Iris thought, shaking her head. _"Why do you do this to yourself, Tron? You know you're barking up the wrong tree. One of these days I'll have to give you a piece of my mind."_

She realized the hypocrisy of her sentiment, but the key difference was that one of them was functionally immortal and far more restrained.

In his state of fatigue, Lan barely remembered walking to the parking lot outside or getting in the car and engaging the autopilot. In a matter of seconds after starting it up he dozed off and the sensors adjusted his seat into a reclining position. By the time he woke up, he was already home, feeling considerably refreshed but still craving some rest and relaxation.

"There you are!" Hub called out as he opened the car door and pulled him out. "We were beginning to worry about you."

"Sorry. You know how hard it can be to let go when trying to figure something out." Lan said.

"We've got visitors, by the way."

"Good day, Dr. Hikari." Hades said as he came into view. "Now that both of you are here, there are some matters of mutual interest I would like to discuss with you."

Moments later, with the three sitting at the living room table, Hades pulled out a black smartphone.

"I guess you don't have a Navi?" Lan asked tentatively.

Hades just shrugged, with the faintest of twitches in his left eye.

"I see no need for them."

As the years had gone by, lot more people had begun to find the idea of keeping an intelligent being confined to a handheld device. Some still used PETs, but a good portion only cared for the aesthetic, not necessarily the content.

"Now then…" he added, still calm, bordering on monotone. "I would like you to take a look at this."

On the screen he showed pictures of a black robot, fighting the invaders in a ruined city that had recently made headlines as the point of first contact.

"This machine has appeared only once so far, but these others..."

Then he switched to a different set of pictures, showing the ugly models in camouflage paint that had followed it.

"The specific details of their appearance vary, but there is a general consistence in their design. They have been appearing across the world on alien attack sites, assisting local forces and then disappearing without a trace."

"And you came to us because?" Lan asked.

"We have reason to suspect that all of these machines may belong to some sort of clandestine organization. The black one was leading a squadron of the others in Nova Vinea. Furthermore..."

Then he switched to another set of pictures, showing the black machine fighting alongside another, increasingly familiar white one, then standing face to face as if having a conversation.

"This other unknown has had contact with this group on at least one occasion… and more recently it appears to have joined forces with your Robot Masters. Perhaps you know something about all of this?"

"_So this so-called Prometheus Group knows about that thing…" _Hub pondered.

"_I've never seen that black one before..." _Lan said through their bond. _"Looks almost as weird though."_

Stone-faced, he tried to read their reactions before speaking again.

"We also have footage suggesting that someone has been capturing live aliens. Foot soldiers were dragged out of their machines in Nova Vinea and other locations. The second command unit that was destroyed in Sunset Coast had its head severed but the cockpit was intact."

"If you were facing an enemy you knew nothing about..." Lan reasoned. "Wouldn't you want to get some information out of them? Unfortunately we don't know anything about that."

"Not even the white machine?" Hades insisted.

"Even if we did, what would your interest in it be?" Lan tried to deflect.

"It appears to be capable of high speed flight and quite effective at combat." Hades said with a shrug. "Considering that your Robot Masters currently possess some of the most advanced machines known to exist, I imagine they will be putting out fires across the world for the foreseeable future."

"Hopefully not." Hub said. "We didn't build those machines just so those children could get stuck with all the work. Besides, with the kind of numbers we're up against, it's physically impossible for them to do everything by themselves unless we somehow master the secrets of teleportation."

"_They know something..." _Hades thought. _"They seem proud of their creations, but are being evasive about the other machine. Why?"_

"It appears that we are still missing too many pieces of the puzzle." Hades said, looking at his wrist watch. "Regardless, I have taken enough of your time for today. For now, I only ask that you consider working together in the future. Your machines will need repairs sooner or later, and while your backers have deep pockets, sometimes the laws of physics are one's own worst enemy."

"What do you mean?" Lan asked, a little suspicious.

"Only that we have access to materiel supply channels that your backers do not, and a certain level of expertise operating in hostile terrain. The whole world is a potential battleground right now, Dr. Hikari."

"I'm curious." Hub said. "What exactly is your group's stake in this? What exactly do you want?"

"To crush our enemies." Hades said with a frown. "To see them driven before us. In their arrogance, these invaders have overlooked one simple truth. Humanity has been waging war on itself intermittently since the dawn of time. Countless tyrants tried to take the world by force. All of them failed."

"You certainly seem passionate about it." Hub remarked.

"Let us say that I have a certain… distaste for impudence." Hades said. "Our Director shares these feelings."

"Director?" Lan prodded.

"I suspect you may end up speaking sooner or later." Hades said. "But for now, I must depart. Until next time."

As he left the house, a black car stopped in front of it on autopilot. He got inside, locked the door and the glasses on the windows shifted into an opaque shade of black. He plugged a cable into his phone, pushed a button on the dashboard and opened a voice only link before driving away.

"So?" a woman's voice asked, in a neutral tone.

"They know something… but probably not as much as we'd hoped."

"It will certainly be interesting to see what the Robot Masters will do with the additional firepower as their allies continue to grow in numbers." the woman said, with a measured, perfectly controlled intonation. "That said..."

"This is a personal matter to you, is it not?" Hades asked.

"You know it is. After all, you've had your fair share of strange twists of fate."

"There are better things I could be doing with my talents." Hades stated, betraying a hint of annoyance. "Is there any particular reason why you wanted me specifically to come speak with them?"

"To test your restraint. That temper of yours has landed you in hot water in the past."

"I don't particularly appreciate being toyed with." he said, the glare of his crimson eyes reflecting off the rear view mirror.

"I have never deceived you about my intentions. If I am testing you, it is for a good reason. After all… you are one of the few who has earned my trust."

"If you say so..."

"Patience. I promise you will get to see some action on the field soon enough."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Morskoy Lev…

"Fascinating." Raito said in hushed tones as he watched the older boy, still fast asleep, loudly snoring.

"Still out like a light..." Maito added, also trying to keep his voice down. "And it's almost dinner time."

Atreus had stumbled into the vacant quarters Laika had offered him, dropped his backpack on the ground… and promptly fallen on the bed, without even remembering to close the door. He had missed breakfast and lunch, and showed no signs of being close to waking up.

"What are you two doing here?" Chisao scolded as he peeked inside, having spotted the door still ajar.

"Mostly feeling jealous of his ability to sleep for so long." Raito said with a grin.

"He'd better enjoy it while he can." Chisao said with a frown. "I get the feeling we're in for a lot of rough nights in the near future."

"What do you mean?" Raito asked.

"Well, think about it." Maito pointed out. "We're in a submarine, out chasing aliens. We'll probably be crossing a bunch of time zones. Some of us will probably get jet lag… or just have to scramble whenever something else happens."

"Either way, you two should butt out." Chisao said. "He'll wake up when he's ready."

With that, he left the room. The nearly identical cousins shrugged and followed him, closing the door behind them.

About fifteen minutes later, Atreus finally woke up, feeling considerably refreshed… and absolutely famished. He checked the time on his watch and blinked.

"Wow… was I really out for that long?"

Feeling his stomach rumbling, he decided to explode the vessel in hopes of finding the mess hall. Unsurprisingly, he found Raito there, already going through what looked like canned tuna and boiled rice, shamelessly gorging himself directly from the can and the cooking pot with a large spoon.

"Looks like some things never change." Atreus remarked.

Raito tried to say something but his mouth was too full. He put down the spoon, chewed, then swallowed everything in his mouth.

"Looks like you're finally up!" he said cheerfully. "I was beginning to wonder if we'd need to have one of the girls pull a reverse Sleeping Beauty on you."

"Maybe if you wanted to get me in trouble." Atreus remarked, quirking an eyebrow. "I'm already eighteen, remember? Aren't these girls your classmates too?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but..." Raito said with a grin. "Wasn't your old man already in love with your mom when she was fifteen?"

"I don't know the whole story, but he also waited until she was a year older than I am now before anything happened at all." Atreus said, somewhat uncomfortable. "Why do you have to bring that up anyway?"

"Oh, ignore my dumbass cousin." Maito intervened as he returned from washing his hands in the kitchen area. "His mouth runs faster than his brain sometimes."

He then stepped closer and pulled out a tablet from his own backpack, before lightly whacking Raito over the head with it.

"Again, read the damn manual. I know you're smart enough to understand it, so quit slacking."

With that, he thrust the tablet into his cousin's hands.

"Fine..." Raito groaned, rolling his eyes. "It's like being at school again."

"If you want, I could always get Maria over here with the squirt bottle she got from Aunt Mayl." Maito said with a smug grin.

"Low blow, bro." Raito whimpered.

The girl in question picked that exact time to show up. Still a little intimidated by Atreus' height, she took a deep breath, and then put her best smile on before stepping up.

"Uh..." she said timidly. "Hi. Atreus, right? I'm Maria Higure. Nice to meet you."

"_Wow..." _Atreus thought. _"The hair color may be different, but it's almost like looking at a smaller version of Amelia."_

"Nice to meet you." he said with a nod and a smile. "Are you one of their classmates too?"

"I'm two years younger than them." Maria clarified. "But we do share some teachers."

"_What the hell?" _Atreus thought. _"She's only fourteen?! What are the Professors thinking, getting her mixed up into this?"_

"I know what you're probably thinking." Raito said. "She may be young, but she's very smart. A certified genius, according to some."

"Is that so?" Atreus asked.

"So they say." Maria said, still smiling. "I don't really care about that, but the Gemini Machine has special abilities only a handful of people can really use properly. Besides, someone has to watch these two. Ms. Mayl would be really sad if anything happened to them."

"Now wait just a minute..." Raito said in mock outrage. "I thought we were the ones supposed to keep you safe."

"To be fair." Maito said with a smug grin. "You may be smart enough, but you have the attention span of a parakeet. Especially when you're hungry. Of course Maria would be worried about you."

"So you're a friend of theirs?" Maria asked, ignoring their bickering with the practiced ease of someone clearly used to it.

"You could say that." Atreus replied with a smile. "Our parents have known each other for about twenty years. They lived in your town for about a year before going back home."

"Wait..." Maria realized excitedly, as she recalled what Aya had said earlier. "Your parents… Oh! Your mom is Dr. Ciel?"

"I see she has a fan right here." Atreus remarked with a grin. "I'll be sure to let her know when I get back."

"I want to be a teacher one day." Maria said, still wearing that contagious smile. "But I really admire smart ladies who break ahead in science. Madame Curie is another of my favorites."

"So you're another certified genius..." Atreus remarked. "It's weird how many of them have been born in the last thirty years. Maybe it's something in the water?"

"Maybe." Maria said with a shrug. "But you're probably wondering why I'm not already in a fancy university like your mom was at my age, right?"

"I had some accelerated schooling myself." Atreus said. "Not as much as my mother though. I'm guessing your parents wanted you to have a normal childhood?"

"Right." Maria said. "They said I'd have plenty of time to be an adult later and that I'd regret missing out on these years."

The way Raito was smiling as he watched their conversation did not escape the young scion's notice.

"_So that's how it is, huh?" _he thought fondly. _"Go, you."_

Thankfully he was nowhere near as emotionally stunted or socially awkward as his father had been at that age, so he recognized the signs. To avoid embarrassing his old friend, however, he didn't say anything.

"But so…" Maria said. "If your parents run your country, wouldn't that make you a prince or something?"

He winced inwardly at those words, a little too embarrassed to mention a nickname his parents had given him in his younger years.

"It doesn't work exactly that way." Atreus said. "It's a meritocracy... for the most part. There are specific people who run specific departments, based on their competence. My parents are the heads of the ethics committee, have power of veto and can pass laws, but they're mostly hands off in daily management unless there's an emergency."

"But you and Amelia are being prepared to take their place one day, right?" Raito asked.

"If we choose to." Atreus pointed out. "Honestly, being the Imperative and the Affirmative isn't as glamorous as you may think. They oversee some of the big projects, try to find ways to improve society, but for the most part they do research and development on… whatever they want really."

He then paused for a moment before grinning.

"It's what makes them happy… even if Grandma sometimes has to stage a little coup and force them to take a break."

"So it's like their old jobs as researchers, but with more work and a bigger budget?" Maito asked, having heard a little about their background as scientists.

"And a big place they inherited from the Founders, yes." Atreus said.

"I still say it could pass for a hotel." Raito said. "With a Bond villain lair in the basement."

"Who knows?" Atreus pondered as he glanced around. "My father would sometimes joke about how my mother could play the part of evil empress when she gets mad. Anyway… what's there to eat around here?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Maito said, grabbing his arm. "Come on, let me show you… before a certain someone eats everything."

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!" Raito muttered with his mouth stuffed with rice as he finished the very last bit in the cooking pot.

"What?" Maito asked. "Don't speak with your mouth full, you doofus!"

"I think the Great Devourer is appeased for now." Maria remarked with a chuckle as she glanced at Raito, who appeared to be suffering from the beginning of a bout of post-meal drowsiness. "Go! Before he awakens again!"

Shaking his head, Maito led Atreus to the pantry. The two looked around for a while until Atreus decided to go for something quick and simple and grabbed some sliced bread, cheese, ham and a bottle of garlic sauce. He laid them out on a counter and made a small pile of sandwiches.

"I wonder what they have to drink around here..." Maito pondered as he opened a nearby fridge, finding several corked bottles of a clear liquid.

"I don't think that's water..." Maito said hesitantly as he eyed the bottles. "Best to leave it alone."

"Hmm..." Atreus muttered as he took a peek into the fridge over his shoulder and grabbed a pack of milk. "This will do."

He then proceeded to munch down on his improvised meal.

"So anyway..." Maito said. "How's your sis?"

"Still bright and stubborn." Atreus said between bites, making sure to swallow before speaking. "She tried to talk me into signing up as a research assistant at the university but… I had other plans."

"You've already graduated, right?" Maito recalled.

"Yeah. Got my first degree, at least. Before this mess started, I was working on the second, doing some volunteer work at a local hospital while trying to decide what to do next and taking care of some other things."

He then finished off another sandwich before continuing.

"It's great not to have to worry about a job at this stage of life. There's still way too much I want to do before tying myself to a chair."

"Lewd." Maito teased.

"Get your mind out of the gutter." Atreus retorted with a grin. "You know what I mean. The way Grandma tells it, my parents are much better at balancing work and personal life now than they were in their younger days, but they still slip here and there."

"I can relate." Maito said with a nod, recalling his own family situation. "At this point I'm really not sure if I want to become a scientist… but I have to admit the labcoats look sharp and building a giant robot in the basement sounds like a fun way to pass the time."

"If you say so." Atreus said. "But I'm glad the Professors had the good sense to keep their home and work place in separate buildings. Most people would sneak out of bed at night to go grab a bite. My parents would wake up and go check their work on the way to the bathroom… until Grandma threatened to put a time lock on the elevator."

Maito snorted and let out a soft chuckle.

"Your grandma is awesome. When you get in touch with them again, make sure to ask her when she can visit."

"Which reminds me..." Atreus said, suddenly remembering something. "I should probably call before they get worried again."

With that, he reached for his watch.

"Wow." Maito remarked, surprised by the size of the display and extravagant design. "What's with the prop? Are you planning to change clothes in a flash and start fighting rubber suit monsters?"

"I think I'll stick to the giant robots for now." Atreus said. "My plate is pretty full as it is."

With that, he opened a transmission and Lune's face appeared on the display.

"My boy!" she said with a smile. "I was beginning to worry! Are you eating properly? Did you get enough rest? Is it too cold over there?"

"Yes, Grandma. Yes. And no." Atreus said, unable to suppress a smile at her typical display of concern. "That said, I didn't exactly plan this trip, so I'll probably need to get a change of clothes soon unless the next destination is a beach."

"Noted." Lune said as she looked off screen and the sounds of typing on a computer keyboard came through the speakers.

"So, what exactly is going on over there?" Atreus asked.

"Your parents and sister are trying to figure out what to do next." Lune said. "I'm holding the fort for now."

"Should I be worried?" Atreus asked, quirking an eyebrow as he heard the sounds of metal being pounded in the background.

"Not really. The plans for the flight units just had to be stepped up a bit, that's all. Sage's machine is the only one that could get to you right now."

"Speaking of which..." Atreus said hesitantly. "When exactly were you planning to tell me about the Apotheosis and the Pantheon? I already knew about the Guardians' machines but the rest was all..."

"Those morceaux de merde picked the worst time to show up." Lune said, a hint of her old temper flashing through her eyes.

"Grandma!" Atreus interjected, still a little unused to hearing her use foul language.

"Right." Lune said, her expression softening again. "Polyglots… and I taught this particular language to both of you. But to answer your question… through some bizarre coincidence, this mess started right when we were planning to set a day aside to call you and Amelia and explain everything."

"So what should I do now?" Atreus asked, still feeling a little lost.

"By some twist of fate, it looks like you caught up with the Robot Masters." Lune said. "We always thought you'd end up fighting together sooner or later, but it's strange how these coincidences happen… if it was a coincidence at all."

"What do you mean?"

"Those two… whatever they are. The ones inside your machine. We had an understanding of sorts, but half the time they just do whatever they want."

Lune's expression then hardened.

"Watch yourself around them. Especially the angry one. Don't let him goad you into doing something reckless."

"You mean like charging across half an ocean and a continent?" Atreus pointed out, a little embarrassed as he recalled his first outing.

"Exactly." Lune said. "I don't know if they managed to jam your watch as well, but seeing how we tried calling that too, it's likely. Once Amelia is ready to join you, she'll be taking some upgrade parts along to make sure this does not happen again."

"She's coming to meet me?" he asked, a little surprised. "I thought maybe you'd want me to head back, or that you'd send Sage seeing how fast his machine is."

"My dear boy..." Lune said, shaking her head. "You know how stubborn the women in this family are. Your sister has been following you around ever since she was old enough to walk. Did you really think she was going to stay put?"

"That said..." Maito intervened. "We really appreciate the unexpected help. Don't worry. We'll make sure nothing happens to him."

"All of you had better make it back in one piece." Lune said. "All of you."

"That's a promise." Maito said resolutely. "But on another note, when this is all over, maybe you could come and visit us again? We miss you."

"If we all make it to the end of this..." Lune said. "I think we're all due for a nice, long vacation."

"That said..." Maito pondered. "It's going to be a pain for Amelia to keep track of a submarine. Maybe we should agree on a meeting point?"

"Do we even know where we're going next?" Atreus asked.

"Not yet, but I can find out." Maito said, as he walked to the nearest intercom and pushed the call button.

"Bridge here." Laika answered.

"Hi, it's Maito. Quick question. Where exactly are we going next?"

"We've just received some updated information." Laika explained. "The aliens are pushing back in central Asia and northern Europe. After consulting your father and uncle and some other associates, we've decided..."

The gruff Major-General cleared his throat and brought up the navigation display on the screen in front of his chair.

"We're going to Albion."

"That settles it then." Lune said. "One of us will be in touch again soon. Take care of yourselves out there."

Atreus nodded and ended the call.

With that, they left the kitchen area and pondered what to do in order to pass the time. As they walked by the mess hall, they saw Raito intently studying the tablet containing the X-1's instruction manual. Next to him, Maria watched him like a hawk, making sure he was indeed paying attention.

"_I guess all he needed was a little more encouragement." _Maito thought with a smile, glad to see his words hadn't fallen on deaf ears.

* * *

Meanwhile, in his quarters, Shingo was mercilessly finishing off the last of the sandwiches he had made with sliced bread, cheese and some kind of surprisingly delicious canned meat. Sated, he put the plate down on the nightstand.

"Let's try this again..." he muttered to himself as he once again reached for his handheld gaming device and brought his finger down on the start button. "ENGAGE RIDLEY MOTHERF-"

As if on cue, he was interrupted by a loud noise outside, followed by a pained hiss.

"What now?!" he muttered in annoyance.

Though he entertained the notion of ignoring the noise, his concern won over and he put the handheld down, stepping outside to check what was going on. He found Aya, clutching her forehead with one hand a pained look on her face, seemingly having tripped and hit her head on a wall. Her other hand was digging through her handbag, yellow like her uniform, looking for something.

He inhaled sharply, but his initial hesitation soon faded.

"What?!" she asked, glaring at him. "Coming out to laugh at me?"

"Don't be stupid." he replied with a stern look. "Let me see that."

Already slipping back into the usual pattern, she got defensive.

"I swear, if you make any jokes about my forehead I-"

"I don't have time for this. Let me see that."

There was something about the look in his eyes that made her relent, though she wasn't sure why. Withdrawing her hand, she finished pulling the compact travel first aid kit from inside her handbag. After a cursory glance, however, he just shook his head.

"You're not going to need any of that stuff." he said, still with the same look in his eyes. "Just… don't go running around here."

His usual irritability wasn't coming to the forefront as it normally did whenever the two exchanged words. Instead, he just turned to leave.

"Like it or not…" he grumbled under his breath. "We're all in this together."

"_What just happened?" _she silently pondered, dumbfounded at his reaction.


	6. The Knight of Albion

Chapter 6 – The Knight of Albion

The words echoed through his mind as the machine at his command soared over the sea.

"My son..." his father had said.

"Our heir, our legacy… our pride." his mother had said.

"What would you ask me me, Mother, Father?" he had asked with glee and trepidation.

"The homeland is secure for now. Yet the war rages on." his father had said.

"We have dear friends from other lands who will need your strength and conviction." his mother had said. "They will be crossing this region soon."

"Show them how a Knight of the Realm fights!" his gruff mentor had said.

"Ride… our prince!" his mother had said.

* * *

In the span of another day, the Morskoy Lev had made it way through the Northern Pacific and the Arctic, circling around Vinland without further incident, and was heading south, snaking across in a wide arc before reaching Albion by way of the channel separating it from the mainland. This, Laika and Kalinka hoped, would buy the young pilots a little extra peace and quiet, shielded from the noise of the surface, before duty inevitably called them out again.

Some of the passengers, however, had found themselves feeling restless along the way, although for different reasons.

After much needed sleep and food, the scion of Neo Atlantis found himself struggling to find something to do. He had slept a little longer, taken a shower, and eventually started wandering around the corridors of the vessel, his mind still going over what had happened to him in recent days.

He recalled the sensation of being in an overwhelming situation, the thrill of flying for the first time… and then the stinging pain in his chest as the wills behind the construct had inflicted upon him the perception of the flickering sparks of life all around him.

Then there was the anger he had felt, creeping upon his throat like bile. The way he had absolutely destroyed his first actual living adversary… and how he had fought across half an ocean and an entire continent for over a day, completely losing track of time.

"_Just what the hell is happening to me?" _he silently pondered as he mentally retraced his actions up to the point where the second command unit's head at Sunset Coast tumbled to the ground, its pilot likely terrified but still alive.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he did not notice where he was going, until he found Shingo sitting on a bench in what looked like a break room adjacent to a small gym.

"Finally some peace and quiet..." the bespectacled boy muttered to himself with a grumpy look on his face.

He looked around hesitantly, as if expecting to be interrupted yet again, but finding the coast clear, he pulled out his handheld gaming device and brought his finger closer to the start button.

"Engage." he muttered, as if afraid of being overheard.

Confused, Atreus kept his distance, silently watching.

"_What is he doing?" _he thought, quirking an eyebrow.

"Ridley." Shingo muttered hesitantly, before looking around again.

Seemingly satisfied, he cleared his throat and raised his finger dramatically.

"ENGAGE RIDLEY MOTHERF-"

With his nose momentarily irritated by a stray speck of dust, Atreus sneezed, startling him and nearly causing him to drop the device.

"AH!" Shingo cried out, before quickly composing himself.

"What are you doing over there?" Atreus asked, surprised by his reaction.

"Trying to focus." Shingo said with a sigh of annoyance. "To tackle a challenge that's been eluding me since long before I joined this team."

He groaned and then put it away.

"No point though. At least not for now. Too much rattling around in my head."

Not wanting to elaborate further, Shingo tried to change the subject.

"So you're the one. We really didn't get to talk much when you came in, and frankly you looked like you weren't in any condition to stay coherent for much longer."

"The one?" Atreus asked, sitting next to him on the couch.

"Maito mentioned you on occasion, and my sister… well, you've probably seen for yourself how big a fan she is of your mother."

"He did?" Atreus asked. "Nothing too outrageous, I hope. But so you're Maria's brother?"

"Shingo Higure. A pleasure to make your acquaintance at last."

"No need to be so formal with me." Atreus said with a smile. "But likewise."

"So… what do you think of our current situation anyway?" Shingo asked, as he once again removed his glasses, sprayed some cleaning liquid on them and wiped the lenses.

"It still feels a bit ludicrous, to be honest." Atreus admitted. "But by now, it's clear that this is all real... for better and for worse."

"Indeed." Shingo remarked. "Then again, the Professors do have a history with this sort of thing, don't they?"

"Same for my parents, though not to the same extent." Atreus conceded. "But I never expected them to start getting involved with giant robots on top of everything else."

"The timing feels a little strange, too." Shingo pondered. "They just happened to have a team of fighting robots ready to deploy just in time to face an alien invasion? Correct me if I'm mistaken, but did the Professors ever strike you as the type to care about weapons? Did your parents, for that matter?"

"No..." Atreus said, shaking his head. "And yet somehow they had this thing seemingly stored for a rainy day, plus machines for all Four Guardians, plus those Pantheon robots..."

"So, how did you get roped into this anyway?" Shingo asked with a smirk. "Did you fall into the cockpit, or did your father just tell you to get in it?"

"Neither." Atreus said with a shrug. "That thing just came to me. I still don't quite understand what my parents were thinking though."

"No sane parent would willingly put their children through this if they thought there was an alternative." Shingo said pointedly. "In my case I had to argue a lot with mine so they would let me be here."

"So how did you end up in the team?" Atreus asked.

Both of them were oblivious to the fact that Aya was walking past the door and, having accidentally overheard them, stopped out of sight to listen.

"Mostly it boils down to two things." Shingo explained as he finally finished wiping his lenses to a degree he found satisfactory and put his glasses back on. "My sister's talents meant that she would become involved sooner or later, even if not on the front lines. I have a duty as a brother to keep her safe."

He paused for a moment, testing the lenses, and then continued.

"When Raito and Maito first found out, they were so excited they just needed to tell someone. I didn't know what to think of it, but I decided to tag along and at least watch their simulator training. Then Maria wanted to go there and watch… and just for a laugh she decided to have a go. Let's just say that she was… surprisingly good at it."

"And what's the other reason?" Atreus asked.

"My best friend and his cousin are right in the thick of it too." Shingo said rather bluntly. "I couldn't let them all head into danger while I just sat at home playing video games… so I pleaded my case with the Professors and with my parents."

"Doing whatever you can to keep your friends and family safe is a good sign of character." Atreus said with an appreciative nod.

"I may not be a genius." Shingo said with a strange intensity in his eyes. "Hell, I know my sister is probably smarter than me, despite what she says. I'm definitely not the son of heroes or millionaires or remarkable in any relevant way. But I'm sure as hell not letting them go into danger alone. I guess all a nobody like me can give is his hard work and dedication, so I might as well pour it all out."

For a brief moment, the skinny, bad tempered boy looked like something else entirely, leaving Aya at a loss for words. Unfortunately she leaned too far into the doorway and lost her balance, landing face down on the carpet.

"What do you want now?" Shingo groaned, his face instantly reverting to its usual expression whenever she was around. "Didn't your mother teach you that it's rude to eavesdrop?"

"As if!" she retorted, dusting herself off as she stood up, before looking away and darting outside.

"What was that all about?" Atreus asked, a little confused by the exchange and the sudden display.

"It doesn't matter." Shingo said dismissively. "I'm not going to let her antics distract me from what needs to be done… even if being in her presence is almost physically painful."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. You have more important things to worry about… such as that creepy machine of yours."

"You noticed it too, then?"

"I think all of us did." Shingo remarked. "There's something seriously wrong with it. That almost palpable aura of menace. It may shine like a white knight in the sun, but it gives everyone the creeps."

"Tell me about it..." Atreus said with a sigh. "I won't deny that it's powerful, but something about it rubs me the wrong way."

"Oh. There you are." Maito said as he peeked inside. "Mind if I take a load off?"

"You know you don't need to ask." Shingo said with a shrug.

With that, Maito sat down between the two.

"So, what's eating at you?" Shingo asked, already recognizing the look on his face.

"Just thinking." Maito explained. "While I'm as thrilled as my cousin to get to play hero, I still try to keep my feet planted on the ground. Things are only going to get more dangerous from here on out, and you know how easily distracted he can be."

"I think he'll be fine." Shingo said. "After all, he has you and my sister to keep an eye on him."

"Are you worried he may not be taking this whole thing as seriously as he should?" Atreus asked.

"Maybe I'm worrying over nothing." Maito pondered. "But one of us has to at least try to keep a clear head. If things get too hairy, my body could be replaced. His and everyone else's, on the other hand..."

"We've had this discussion before, remember?" Shingo pointed out. "Organic or synthetic, you're no more expendable than any of us, so don't go getting ideas."

"You're right." Maito said, perking up. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I need to have more faith in those around me."

* * *

Elsewhere…

A stylish but not overly distinctive car with a metallic silver coat of paint and opaque windows weaved through the traffic until it reached a walled complex in the suburbs. A large plaque was prominently on display next to the gates, bearing the name Harlington-Straker Film Studios.

The uniformed guard at the tollbooth, a thickly built man somewhere in his forties, put down the tabloid he was reading and stood at attention. His posture relaxed considerably once he recognized the car, however, and he peeked through the booth window.

"Good morning Colonel." he said as the glass on the driver's side lowered, revealing a dark haired man in his fifties in a black business suit with a matching tie.

"Good morning Harold." the man said with a nod. "How are things today?"

The guard produced what looked like a small tablet from his coat's pocket and sighed.

"Looks like the Commander has sent a care package to beef up the Wardens. Bout time too. The lads were gettin' salty about letting the Knights have all the fun around here."

Harold then sighed as the Colonel reached out to touch the tablet's screen.

"Is this really necessary Colonel?" he grumbled. "Even if someone nicked your car and your ID badges, they wouldn't fool anyone."

"Better safe than sorry." the Colonel replied, pressing his open hand against the screen, which lit up with a green light in acknowledgment a moment later. "I've been in the game long enough to know that all it takes is one slip up to bugger everything."

"Right." Harold conceded. "We definitely wouldn't want that after all the work the other divisions have put in."

"Well then… Keep up the good work. They're expecting me downstairs."

"Oh, by the way..." Harold said, giving him a sly grin. "Someone's here to see you. You didn't hear it from me though. Don't want to spoil it."

"My lips are sealed." the Colonel said with a smile and a nod before the tollbooth fence opened to let him into the parking lot.

He parked outside what looked like a perfectly normal film studio at first glance, with plain white walls and an automatic glass door, and made his way into the reception where a petite brunette in a sharp brown business dress suit was sitting behind a thick counter. Her hazel eyes discreetly glanced at him and the Colonel knew that at that moment, despite her friendly expression she was instinctively going over a control panel and making sure that the concealed pistol under one of the desk shelves was within reach.

"Morning Silvia." he said before stepping up to the counter and once again repeating the handprint scan on a fixed panel instead of a tablet.

"Morning Colonel." she said with a soft voice, visibly relaxing.

"You're getting better at acting casual, but the eyes still give you away." the Colonel said with a smile.

"I'll keep that in mind." she said with an appreciative nod. She then pushed a button and a concealed panel opened up on a side wall to his right, revealing a reinforced metal door. "Go right ahead please."

The Colonel nodded and stepped up to the door. From one of his pockets he pulled out a small blue badge in the shape of an elongated pentagon and pressed it against a sensor next to the door. With a loud beep, the door split into two and withdrew into the frame, revealing a hallway lined with metal, distinctively different in style from the plain reception area. Ignoring the concealed cameras, he kept going.

After a few minutes descending through a metal staircase, he came upon another security checkpoint, but the guard there simply glanced at him and then ushered him in, satisfied that his colleagues upstairs had done their part.

After going through another hallway, he stepped into an elevator. He pressed the badge against yet another sensor and the doors shut, sending him deeper.

Mere moments later, at a depth beyond subway lines, he emerged to find an ample control chamber where various personnel, all clad in green wool sweaters, khaki trousers and brown shoes were busy at work, all of them bearing the same insignia in the shape of am elongated blue pentagon pointing downwards. Some of them were manning various computers and communications consoles, while a few were intently studying the image on the room's centerpiece – a large holographic projector where the blue image of a globe was on display, constructed and updated with real time data. Specific locations were marked with different colors and insignias, and troop movements and positions were on display using differently colored icons based on number, nature and affiliation.

While it was by all accounts an impressive piece of technology, what drew his attention was the pair of men standing next to it, seemingly waiting for him. Instead of a uniform, one of them was wearing what looked like a dark gray padded suit made of some sort of synthetic material and a helmet with a built in breathing mask resembling those worn by jet fighter pilots. However, despite the mask, the Colonel recognized him immediately.

"Well now..." the Colonel said with a smile. "It's definitely good to see you my boy. But if Major Yeager is here as well, I'm guessing that means things are about to get interesting."

"You could say that, yes." the other man said as he brushed a strand of purple hair off his face and his blue eyes shimmered under the globe's light.

His exact age was difficult to pinpoint but he looked somewhere in his thirties at most, handsome and with an elegant bearing, but perhaps a little flamboyant thanks in no small part to his mane. He was wearing the same uniform as the rest of the base staff, only with a gray sweater instead of green.

"Special delivery straight from HQ." the man in the flight suit explained. "If this module is all that it's cranked out to be, we owe Reinhardt Harkonnen a cask of Port for going above and beyond like this."

"Oh?" the Major interjected with an odd smile. "Is the Gespenst not meeting your expectations, Captain Devon?"

"Make no mistake about it." the Captain clarified. "It's bloody awesome. That said, it still pains me to be running circles around the aliens while the others struggle in the Wardens. Those things are sturdy… for the most part... but their firepower still needs work."

"Unfortunately, yes." the Major said with a nod. "The Commander focused on the jump jets first due to mobility concerns and to facilitate deployment and recall from the Skyrangers, but now it's time we focused on stopping power. I guarantee that your colleagues in the MEC division will be quite pleased. The structural reinforcements required to handle this module should also make them a little faster and more resilient."

"I just hope you are not going to slap the same voice identification system on the Wardens as you did on the Gespenst." the Captain said with a hint of annoyance.

"I will take your feedback into consideration." the Major said with a mischievous smile.

"Incidentally..." the Captain added rather bluntly. "I've been meaning to ask. What's with the purple wig?"

"W-Wig?!" the Major stuttered, caught off guard.

"I know you frequently visit the Moonbase." the Captain elaborated. "The folks up there can get a little bored on monitoring duty and the dress code may not be as strictly enforced as down here. But is everyone up there wearing purple wigs?"

The Colonel struggled to contain his laughter while the Major looked at the Captain as if the man had insulted his mother.

"I will have you know..." the Major said, baring his teeth ever so slightly. "This is not a wig. My hair is one hundred percent natural."

"Oh." the Captain said rather sheepishly. "My mistake."

"To be fair..." the Colonel chimed in, somehow managing to keep a straight face. "It still baffles me how many people have natural hair like that, especially in the Far East area. Greens, purples and whatnot."

"Quite." the Captain said flatly, seizing the opening to end the discussion as quickly as possible.

"Anyway..." the Major said, clearly as eager to change the subject as the others. "If you are done practicing with the interceptor pilots, please meet us at the MEC hangar in ten minutes."

And with that, he turned and left.

"To be fair..." the Colonel said in a hushed tone with the faintest hint of a smile once the Major was out of earshot. "I thought the same thing when I saw him for the first time."

"Purple hair or not, he's definitely not your run-of-the mill engineer." the Captain remarked. "In some ways, he reminds me of the Commander. Maybe it's that distant look he gets sometimes."

"Son… I've been doing this for thirty years and I still don't know half the Commander's tricks and plans. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more like him out there."

"Plots within plots." the Captain said with a shrug. "I knew what I was getting into when I followed in your footsteps."

"Incidentally..." the Colonel remarked. "I just finished meeting with the Queen before coming here. It looks like things are about to get a little livelier in the next few days."

"Meaning?"

"The world's newest little superhero team is due for a visit soon. From what I understand, your friend from Nova Vinea is traveling with them as well."

"Ah. Those so-called Robot Masters." the Captain said, before letting out a sigh.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"It just doesn't feel right." the Captain vented. "Their machines may outperform our Wardens, but they're still children. They shouldn't have to deal with that crap. Isn't that what we're supposed to be here for?"

"I thought you'd say that. Nothing we can do about it, unfortunately." the Colonel said with a grimace. "Other than trying to end this as quickly as possible."

"And try we will." the Captain said. "The motto on these insignias may be a little pretentious, but it is appropriate."

As if on cue, they were interrupted by a sudden alarm as red saucer shaped forms appeared on the map in the area around Albion's waters, heading to the islands.

"Time to live up to it." the Captain said with grim determination.

"Watch yourself out there son."

"Don't worry." the Captain said with no small amount of pride in his voice. "I was trained by the best."

* * *

Around that time, as the Morskoy Lev continued its approach and made its way through the channel separating Albion from the mainland...

"Ladies and gentlemen." Laika announced through the submarine carrier's internal PA system. "Once more into the breach."

"You heard the man!" Dex said, cracking his knuckles.

"Definitely not how I'd hoped my first visit to Albion to start." Shingo lamented. "But I knew what I was signing up for."

"Time to make the folks home proud again." Raito said excitedly.

"I do hope you read the whole manual this time." Maito remarked, leering at him.

"Don't worry." Maria chimed in with her usual smile. "I made sure he did."

"I suppose having some early experience with a difficult student can be valuable for later." Aya remarked, already being familiar with Raito's dislike for typical schoolwork.

"He's not so bad once you know how to get his attention." Maria said, looking proud of herself.

"He'd better thank you properly later." Shingo teased.

"Scandal at ACDC School!" Maito jokingly proclaimed. "Bright new teacher elopes with problem student!"

"Q-Quiet you!" Raito grumbled, his face turning a shade of red.

"You have not exactly denied it though." Aya remarked with a grin, eerily similar to her mother's own.

"I've watched this movie before." Dex remarked with a chuckle as he witnessed the exchange.

"Ditto." GutsMan agreed with a nod. "Brings ya back, doesn't it?"

Chisao loudly cleared his throat.

"Come on guys, let's head out."

The banter quickly ceased and the group made their way to the hangar. Atreus was the last, and while the others were busy strapping themselves in, he stood in front of the Apotheosis, staring somewhat hesitantly at it.

"You'd better not pull any more stunts like the last one, or this is going to be a short partnership." he warned.

"On my honor, it will not happen again." the Son replied, clearly still upset about it as well.

"I'll hold you to that." Atreus added, his expression softening somewhat. "Now then… time to get busy."

By the time the Robot Masters and the Apotheosis broke through the water's surface and emerged at a beach, the battle was already raging. However, much to their surprise, instead of the typical tanks and planes they found a rather large contingent of the ugly unidentified machines they had encountered before, twelve in total, up against a force seemingly three or four times their size. While the individual markings and paint jobs on each of the machines were varied, they were clearly of the same model.

"Well now..." Shingo said as he watched the squadron fighting in tandem.

While three peppered their surroundings with suppression fire, whittling down the armor plating of the alien machines and forcing the piloted ones to keep their distance, two swept from each side, taking advantage of the distraction to gun down as many as possible with their oversized auto-cannons. The area soon found itself devoid of drones as the fragile machines crumpled like paper under the hail of bullets. Meanwhile, another of the military robots charged through the middle, its pilot clearly trying to draw attention while the others did their part.

"Just how many of those are out there?" Raito wondered.

"_The question here would be… who are they?"_ Laika pondered from a distance as he assessed the situation from the Seeker's cockpit.

"There is something slightly different about these machines, though." NumberMan chimed in, already gathering and sorting tactical data. Sure enough, these machines looked slightly more robust and were sporting boxy white attachments on their forearms.

"We'll have time to gawk later." Dex said as he charged forward. "Let's go!"

With that, the Guts Machine shifted into an increasingly familiar position and its right fist was soon streaking through the air again.

"ROCKET PUNCH!" Dex roared.

"A man of culture, I see." the Son remarked appreciatively. "In that case..."

And with that, the Apotheosis fulminated one of the alien humanoid machines with a pair of golden beams from its eyes. The others were a little taken aback to hear the strange entity crack a joke, but had more pressing matters at hand.

"Pffft, nerds." Aya joked, before unleashing a Spark Shock.

"Stay behind me Sis." Shingo said in a low tone. "They're not laying a finger on you."

"I'm not a baby, you know." Maria said, smiling softly, though she did appreciate the concern.

* * *

Meanwhile, an ocean away…

"And with that, we're done." Ciel said with a satisfied smile as the last metal panel was affixed in place.

After intense brainstorming and nearly unceasing work, the Hoplon's utility pack mounted on its back was sporting a few additional attachments, the most prominent of which were a set of turbines resembling those commonly seen in VTOL aircraft. In this case, they were mounted in tubes on an articulated frame, making the elegant machine look as though it had wings. At the middle of the back, a circular panel had also been installed, sealing access to a separate system.

"Looks like we haven't lost our touch." Cadmus said, examining their joint handiwork. He had removed his coat and shirt and was currently walking around with his torso covered in what looked like a black body glove, showing his skinny but fit outline for a man of his age.

"Wow..." Amelia said as she too beheld the culmination of their efforts. Her sweater was tied around her waist, out of the way, revealing a white silk shirt with an embroidered decoration in the shape of a small bird over the left side of the chest. While she was more of a fan of the soft sciences, she still knew her way around machinery and, much like her parents, found physical, tangible work a nice way to distract herself from other concerns.

Instead of digging through the Hoplon's innards and rearranging them in a tedious and time consuming process, they had elected to expand upon the utility pack. These had been initially designed with versatility in mind, in order to expand the Pantheon's operational scope. As the Hoplon was essentially a more advanced prototype version of the Pantheon machines, they already had a solid framework to build upon.

"With this, you could probably give Sage some competition." Lune said, also basking in the satisfaction of a completed project. Unlike the others, she had kept her usual labcoat on, supervising the assembly work and installing the additional software packages required.

"I would welcome the company in the skies." Sage remarked, clad in his green battle armor. "Phantom may not be so pleased, however."

"I'm sure his mood will improve once he gets his own set of wings." Ciel said with a small grin as, clad in a labcoat identical to her mother's, she removed the thick gloves she had been using while handling some of the more delicate components.

The way the Guardians had become attached to Atreus and Amelia since their birth had definitely surprised her at the time. Phantom in particular, despite maintaining a cold veneer, had comfortably slipped into the role of a stern but doting uncle – a far cry from the nearly robotic agent they had met twenty years prior.

"The pre-flight checklist should take just a few minutes to go through." Cadmus said as he turned to Amelia. "It's all automated so you don't need to stand around waiting for it."

"While it was built for war..." Amelia mused. "It's definitely an elegant machine. Beautiful even."

"No, not for war." Cadmus corrected her. "For protecting those we hold dear. Just like the Pantheon. War is just an unfortunate part of the equation."

"Most girls would settle for a pony or a dress." Amelia remarked with a soft chuckle.

Then her expression soured ever-so-slightly.

"I must ask though. Why did you design the Pantheon machines with such a creepy look?"

"It's a long story." Cadmus said with an enigmatic smile.

"And trust me, he did get an earful or two for that." Ciel added, also smiling.

Amelia couldn't help feeling that she was missing out on some sort of inside joke.

"You'll have to tell me all about it later, once my dumbass brother is back home."

"Well then..." Sage said. "Are you going to take it for a test flight… or skipping ahead to the main event?"

"What do you think?" Amelia retorted with a smirk.

* * *

A few minutes later, the Hoplon emerged from the hangar. Amelia looked around and found the Great Harpuia already waiting for her outside… along with some unexpected company.

The cyclopean blue robots she found so unsettling appeared to have gathered to see her off as well, lining up in two rows flanking her path.

"What's this?" she asked, a little taken aback.

"Just seeing you off." a young man's voice replied. Her surprise only grew as she realized the voice was coming inside from one of the machines.

"They talk?!" she muttered, a little louder than she would have intended.

"What?" a young woman's voice chimed in, coming from another machine and clearly amused. "Did you think we were just a bunch of drones?"

"After the Day of Sigma, none of us would feel comfortable letting weapons run around on their own." the young man elaborated.

"Who are you exactly?" Amelia asked.

A dark haired young man's face appeared on one of the Hoplon's screens, with his eyes covered by a white visor with opaque blue lenses. By his youthful face, however, he appeared to be only a few years older than her. The blue uniform, simple yet elegant, bore the insignia of the golden trident with clockwork wings proudly on the chest.

"Lieutenant-Commander Colbor, madam." he said with a quick salute. "And these are my brothers and sisters in arms."

With that, he turned to the others.

"Pantheon Corps, attention!" he cried out. In a fluid coordinated motion, the cyclopean machines stood at attention and saluted.

"Why?" Amelia asked, feeling a little self-conscious to be on the receiving end of such a display, enough to momentarily forget how much she disliked being treated with excessive formality.

"Because you're heading out into danger for the sake of others." the Lieutenant-Commander said. "Standing up for one's brethren, either by flesh or heart, takes courage."

He then turned to Sage.

"Sir!" he pleaded. "Please allow some of us to escort both of you to your destination!"

Sage stayed silent for a brief moment, but then he grinned.

"If you can keep up." the Guardian said, trying not to look too smug. "You're not taking half the squadron out just to impress the little bird here though. Pick two people to accompany you and grab your flight packs."

"Fair enough." Colbor conceded. "Rouge, Jaune, with me."

Two of the Pantheon units broke off the formation and took their place by their superior's side.

* * *

Back in Albion…

One of the military machines rushed an alien robot, raising not its oversized gun but rather its right fist. As it did so, the attachment on its right arm let out a loud pneumatic hiss. Like a prizefighter at the end of a championship match, it struck its opponent's faceplate, sending the alien construct tumbling like a rag doll.

"Ugly machine..." Dex said. "But that was cool."

"No time for gawking bro!" Chisao scolded. "Let's go!"

Taking the initiative, Aya charged forth, dodging a drone's clumsy attempts at shooting her machine before raising the Spark Machine's arms forward. Once again the capacitors hummed.

"Chain Spark!" she roared as a burst of electricity struck one of the alien robots, then spread to two more, and each of them to two others. Though dispersing the energy through more targets would diminish the actual damage, they were still effectively immobilized.

Seeing this opportunity, one of the military robots reached behind its back and hurled a familiar looking object into the cluster of immobilized enemies. It didn't take a genius to guess what it was as it beeped twice in the air and then impacted the ground, unleashing the explosive power contained within and tearing the nearest three alien robots to shreds.

"Well then..." Shingo said, straightening his glasses. "Don't mind if we do."

The light filtering in through his cockpit's window briefly reflected off the lenses of his glasses, obscuring his eyes and making him look a little insane. His grin as the Drill Machine reached with both arms behind his back did not help matters. With both arms connected to the shoulder mounted drills, he leaned forward.

"BOOST KNUCKLE!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. The drills started spinning and both arms shot forward, plowing through the immobilized aliens.

Screaming like a madman while piloting a towering armored machine equipped with such weaponry, he found, was quite a cathartic experience, allowing him to release some of his nervous tension while putting his reflexes to use for a good cause.

"_I guess all these years playing video games did pay off." _he thought with a smirk as the flying fists drilled through two alien robots each.

Another of the military robots raised a fist and once again a target was knocked flying. This one, however, was flung against one of its compatriots and the two careened out of control before crashing into a third, which then exploded.

"_That was cool..." _Raito thought. _"I wonder if this system can copy that weapon."_

"_These guys don't pull their punches..." _Chisao thought with a wince. _"Guess I can't blame them for not trying to go non-lethal with so many enemies having a go at them."_

Meanwhile, from out of sight, Laika got back to work, marking targets with the Seeker's scope as he lurked with only his machine's head and rifle peeking out of the water. Based on the previous battle, he guessed there would probably be command units skulking about. In his younger days he might have started firing once a valid target was in his sights, but age had taught him the value of patience. If there was more than one command unit, firing too soon would send them into hiding. His plans were disrupted, however, when one of the military machines, in a green camouflage pattern, was struck by a burst of fire, hitting the cockpit in the torso. The pilot screamed in pain for a fraction of a moment before falling silent and his machine froze in its tracks.

Realizing what had just happened before their eyes, the younger of the Robot Masters winced and averted their gazes. As for Laika, he watched on, muttering a silent prayer for the fallen soldier. The grizzled veteran then mentally added this to the list of indignities the invaders would answer for and resumed his search for the command units.

Enraged, one of the pilot's companions, in a machine painted in a white and gray urban camouflage pattern, fired the rocket boosters mounted on the back and feet of their machine, hurling themselves at the alien responsible and pummeling the living daylights out of it with both fists. Another alien unit tried to took advantage of the distraction to shoot it in the back, only to be gunned down by two bursts of gunfire from a pair of other soldiers, one's machine painted sandy beige and the other rusty red.

Unnoticed by his companions, Atreus momentarily froze in place. Once again, his mind was assaulted by the image of countless tiny flames. For a brief instant, he could see a source of light in place of everyone present on the battlefield, in particular his companions… and the unfortunate soldier as his flame flickered and sputtered out. Once again, he felt the prickling in his chest.

"Do you see?" the Father asked, speaking directly into his mind as if taunting him. "Do you understand?"

"What… are you doing to me?" Atreus hissed, wincing in pain.

"You stop that!" the Son intervened, abruptly interrupting the effect. "Do you really think that's going to help at a place like this?"

Around Atreus, the battle raged on. Maria cut down an enemy unit with a Gemini Beam, secure in the knowledge that it was unmanned, but did not move from her position. Any alien that tried to get close would soon get a taste of the Drill Missiles or Spark Shock. Despite their differences, Shingo and Aya could at least agree on one thing. Nobody would lay a finger on her on their watch.

"Keep it up." Laika said through their shared communications link. "If any of those command units show up, I'll put it out of our misery."

One of the military machines, painted in a pattern imitating gray metallic mesh, fell over with its right leg ruined by an alien rocket. The pilot defiantly took aim and kept firing while two other soldiers took position to cover the damaged machine. Another alien tried to aim a rocket launcher at them only for the ammunition pack on its back to get hit by a grenade, causing a chain reaction that reduced it and three of its compatriots to scrap metal.

Two other military robots seemed to be doing particularly well. One painted white and the other red, both ornamented with matching flame decals on their limbs, had somehow managed to avoid every shot fired their way. As the red one fired its thrusters and slammed its fist on an enemy unit's faceplate, the white one picked up their deceased companion's auto-cannon, bringing both of them to bear.

Seizing the openings created by the Robot Masters, they kept slipping between the cracks in the enemy's formation, taking down scores of alien machines in tandem with almost supernatural coordination. As they dashed by, propelled by their rocket boosters, a symbol on both of them came into view – some sort of meteor or comet, painted upon their chests.

"Whoa..." Dex muttered, looking at them go.

"There's definitely something about those two." Chisao remarked, feeling a little nervous. "What is this pressure?"

The younger pilots felt it too, though they were not trained martial artists. The two machines – or rather their pilots – had a strange presence to them that made them momentarily feel a light, indescribable prickling sensation on their foreheads. There was no time for idle musing, however, and the Guts Machine found itself pelted with a volley of projectiles as the enemy took advantage of their distraction.

"Why you…!" Dex growled.

With a furious glare, he charged at the nearest of his assailants and the Guts Machine clenched its right fist. Swift beyond its size, it jumped forward and slammed said fist on the underside of the alien robot's head, where the chin would be in a person.

"SHORYUKEN!" Dex roared as the fist connected, the momentum sending the Guts Machine into the air and sending its target tumbling in a heap, its head practically torn from its body.

"Pity we can't use all of the Master's techniques in here..." Chisao lamented. "But that'll do for now."

"There are still too many of the bastards though." GutsMan chimed in as the three steered their machine mid-air. "Only a matter of time until one of the kids gets hurt."

"Hell no!" Dex growled.

With that, the Guts Machine's right arm transformed into a Buster and started peppering the area in front of it with small yellow energy projectiles, almost like a machine gun. Though far from being its most powerful attack, it was still surprisingly effective against such frail targets.

"I figure I know how to get their attention." Maito said with a grin.

With that, the blue two-seat robot broke into a sprint, right into the middle of the enemy formation.

"HEY!" Dex shouted. "Don't go runnin' off on your own!"

"I've got this." Atreus chimed in, regaining his composure and interposing his construct between the X-1 and the aliens. Once again, the strange golden energy sphere materialized, soaking in the barrage of tiny blue projectiles that followed.

"What are you doing?" Shingo asked as his machine's sensors picked a strange energy fluctuation in the X-1.

The moment of distraction proved costly, however, as one of the alien rockets found its way to the Drill Machine, slamming into its midsection and gouging an ugly hole at the point of impact.

"Son of a…!" Shingo hissed as he prepared to retaliate.

"Relax." Maito said with a grin as his eyes took on a blue glow. "It's time for them to see why people call me Crash."

"Jamming field on." Raito said, an identical grin creeping across his own face.

Using the radio and wireless data transmitters mounted on the machine to expand his perception, Maito reached out, using the interface built into his synthetic body to wreak havoc with the enemy's communications. Soon enough, the remaining automated drones started moving erratically and turned their weapons on their manned counterparts. While he could not seize control of the unmanned robots given their sheer number, their movements became noticeably sluggish and erratic.

"I should have expected that." Shingo said, recalling one particular conversation he'd had with Maito.

* * *

Five years prior…

"Come to think of it, why don't you ever do any sports at school?" Shingo asked. "I've seen how ridiculously strong you are."

Maito's expression became rather downcast.

"I guess nobody ever told you." he said with a sigh.

"Told me what?"

"Who my parents used to be." Maito clarified. "What they are. What I am."

"So it's true then..." Shingo said, quirking an eyebrow. "I thought the others were just making it up."

"No." Maito said, shaking his head. "My parents were once Cyberworld Immortals. Navis. I am… the son of MegaMan."

"Well, you could have fooled me." Shingo said, straightening his glasses. "I don't think I could tell the difference. You laugh, cry, eat, sleep and so on like everyone else."

"But as you said yourself, I'm also ridiculously strong." Maito pointed out. "Stronger and faster than normal humans. My body is a latest generation model with some organic components, nearly impossible to tell apart from a fully organic one unless you know what to look for. It grows and matures with me over time."

"I see… So that means..."

"It would also blow everyone else here out of the water if I tried to get into sports." Maito added with a sigh. "It wouldn't be fair for them. As long as I'm not physically competing with them though, or doing anything that could get them hurt..."

"How does it feel?" Shingo asked with genuine curiosity. "To know that you're stronger and faster than everyone you've ever met and that you'll probably live longer than all of us?"

"Sometimes… like I'm living in a world of cardboard." Maito said with a sigh. "Thank goodness for my strength limiters."

"But if you have limiters, why do you do this to yourself?"

"Suppose… I get a little too carried away and accidentally disable them? What then?"

"Well..." Shingo said resolutely. "I'm not afraid of you."

Coming from somewhere else, it might have sounded like a taunt, but the intent was clearly different.

He then put a hand on Maito's shoulder.

"I don't care what you're made of. You're as human as any of us."

"Sometimes I envy you." Shingo admitted, before letting out a sigh and proceeding to take his glasses off and clean them for the twentieth time that day. "Perfect eyesight, perfect health, none of these damn allergies. Not to mention you're one of the kindest people I've ever met. I'm not rich, I don't have any special talents. I'm a nobody… and still you go out of your way to make me feel like I belong here."

"You're selling yourself short." Maito countered. As you said, it's not about what you're made of… and I'll add that it doesn't matter what kind of gifts you were born with or who your parents are. It's who you try to be."

"I guess I do have at least one thing to be proud of..." Shingo realized.

For the first time since Maito could remember, the skinny boy with the thick glasses and unruly hair smiled openly.

"A friend like you."

"I think you're missing the point..."

"No, not at all." Shingo interrupted, straightening his glasses. "No matter who they are, you treat everyone with the same kindness… when you're not pulling pranks with that cousin of yours. You're an example to follow… even if I'm not about to replace my body with machines."

* * *

Back to the present…

"I guess that physical strength wasn't the only thing you were packing, even back then." Shingo muttered to himself with unbridled admiration. "You were never going to be just another nameless face in the crowd."

"My parents had plenty of time to fine tune their abilities." Maito said, looking a little embarrassed at the recollection. "By the time they got their Copy Bots it was a simple thing for them to interface with electronics. The first time I tried, I totaled one of their computers."

"_I still wonder what it'd be like..." _Shingo thought with a sigh. _"To be special like you and the others."_

His somber musings were interrupted by a bout of sneezing. His nostrils exploded five times in quick succession and he was soon fuming, with misty eyes and snot running down his nose.

"Not this shit again!" he growled in frustration as he reached for the packet of handkerchiefs in his breast pocket.

He vigorously blew his nose, wiped his face and then took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses with a microfiber cloth and a small spray bottle. Grumbling, he then put the glasses back on and wiped the shredded bits of paper from his shirt.

"_Stupid worthless body..."_ he raged inwardly._ "Why won't anything work on these damn allergies?!" _

"This is no place for daydreaming!" Aya scolded, having noticed the distant look on his face through the communications link. Before he could retort in his typical manner, however, Atreus crossed the distance and once again summoned his blade.

Without a word, he horizontally bisected two of the alien robots edging towards the Drill Machine's flank. The surprised pilots of the military machines had the presence of mind to keep a good distance from him after that.

"Looks like they're not completely disabled." Maito concluded. "Careful guys."

Between dodging projectiles with varying degrees of success, Raito glanced at the Apotheosis.

"_A__nother one for the collection!__" _he thought with glee as he eyed the dedicated display hooked to the Variable Weapons System. To his disappointment, however, an error message appeared on the screen.

"**UNABLE TO ANALYZE"**

"_Bah!" _he thought with a pout. _"The X-1 would have looked pretty cool with a sword."_

Maito grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and kept the momentum going, trying to ensure they stayed a moving target. Another alien robot armed with a rocket launcher equivalent came into view, and he instinctively steered the X-1 into a sliding dash, kicking up a plume of sand. Before the surprised alien pilot could react, he the X-1 closed the distance, pried the launcher from the machine's grasp and promptly clubbed its former wielder over the head with the tube.

Meanwhile, the remaining soldiers seized the opportunity, unloading everything they had on the aliens. Between their heavy ordnance and the Robot Masters' exotic weaponry, the beach was soon littered with the remains of the invaders' machines.

"_It's not over yet..." _Laika thought, realizing the command units had not shown themselves yet. Then, as he zoomed in on a distant point, he realized that one of his intended targets was attempting to flee, the more ornate machine stumbling awkwardly.

"Got you, you little..." he growled.

While sniper training mostly involved learning how to pull off lethal shots at ludicrous distances, he knew the value of capturing a live enemy. Carefully adjusting his aim, he held his breath and fired. With a thunderous roar, the compressed tungsten projectile found its mark, tearing the alien machine's neck apart and sending the head tumbling down, a little worse for the wear but mostly intact. To his amusement, two of the soldiers were visibly startled by the sound and their machines rolled for cover behind some of the debris.

Another military machine, painted purple of all things, fell down as its right knee was shredded by a rocket. The nearly identical cousins exchanged a worried glance and then moved closer to check if the pilot was still all right. Much to their surprise, however, they soon realized that for some bizarre reason, the machine was wearing what looked like an oversized fedora, painted in the same gaudy tone as the body.

"_The hell?"_ the cousins thought in unison.

Fortunately the pilot seemed well enough to steer the machine in a limp towards safety as the rest of the squad provided covering fire, but they could not fathom why someone would step into a battleground wearing such ridiculous ornaments.

"Probably one more to go..." Dex realized.

"Not for long." Maria said.

She had remained silent for most of the battle, surveying the field using not only the Gemini Machine's sensors but also data streaming in from the other machines' cameras and detection devices. With her eye for detail and nigh inhuman spatial awareness, she had cross-referenced the data with public access satellite maps and discerned likely locations where the elusive command units might be hiding.

"Gotcha!" she announced triumphantly.

The body of the Gemini Machine started glowing as light blossomed through the crystalline ornaments covering its body. The robot stretched both its hands forward with open palms and fired a strange beam into the distance. Staring at it was like staring at a concentrated rainbow, if said rainbow was powered by a hundred halogen lamps.

As it hit its target, the pilot of the second alien command unit that had been hiding behind a building further inland, let out an agonized scream as their retinas were completely overwhelmed.

"Stop whining." Shingo said, trying not to sound too smug. "My sister probably just saved your life."

As if on cue, Laika fired again, ruining the alien command unit's neck and leaving it completely immobilized as the head tumbled down.

"Are they stopping yet though?" Raito asked, glancing around nervously.

"Not yet." Laika informed. "Stay on your guard."

"To hell with this!" a voice shouted, its exasperation contrasting with the robotic intonation in a baffling way.

With most of the alien forces wrecked or crippled, the final squad leader felt the noose tightening around his neck and rather than attempting to flee, instead broke into a futile charge, raising his machine's rifle and firing wildly… until the white and crimson machines shot the legs out from underneath it, sending it into an undignified tumble.

"And that's that." Maito remarked, letting out a sigh of relief. "Everyone OK?"

"Still alive." Shingo said, tired but elated.

"Not a scratch." Maria chimed in. "Thanks, everyone."

"Don't mention it." Aya said, looking proud of herself.

Meanwhile, the pilots of the military machines gathered their fallen and in a matter of moments a large black cargo helicopter with no identifying marks flew into view. As soon as the helicopter landed, a group of soldiers covered from head to toe in black armor fanned across the area. With the robots assisting with the heavy lifting, they started gathering as much of the wreckage as possible.

"_Seizing the remains..." _Laika deduced. _"That's to be expected."_

Seized by curiosity, the Hikari cousins steered the X-1 closer. Most of the pilots in the military machines ignored the blue robot, but the ones in the red and white robots clearly took notice and stepped closer.

"Keep it up." the crimson rider said to his companions. "We will handle this."

The two military robots kept walking until they were within arm's reach of the X-1, and then stopped.

"You've handled yourselves quite well." a young man's voice said from inside the red machine.

"We know who you are, of course." his colleague in the white robot added, apparently around the same age. "You're already getting quite a few fans among our colleagues."

"Excuse me, but..." Raito said, a little fazed by the praise. "Who are you?"

"We are watchful." the pilot of the red machine said.

"We are relied upon." his colleague in the white machine added.

"That doesn't really answer anything." Maito pointed out.

"Sorry, but that's all you're getting for now." the pilot of the red machine said, as the robot's right hand made a saluting motion. "Stay safe out there kids."

With that, the two turned around and went back to work.

"Did anyone else feel that?" Aya asked hesitantly.

"You mean other than the coolness factor?" Maria asked in turn. "I have no idea what that was."

Laika watched the pair of strangers intently, having also felt the impact of their presence. Knowing better than to interfere with what was clearly a military operation though, he turned to the others and cleared his throat.

"You have done well, all of you." he said with a glimmer in his eyes. "This was definitely not part of our plans, but given the circumstances we should expect it to happen again. For now, stay strong."

While the retrieval squadron continued its work, a second helicopter landed. From inside emerged what looked like a medical unit, which proceeded to inspect the cockpits of the damaged machines. Raito winced as they hauled out what was left of the pilot who had taken a direct hit on a stretcher, covered in a tarp, while Aya and Maria looked away. For his part, Atreus watched grimly. The wounded did not leave their machines, but simply followed the second helicopter once it took off.

"So what's the plan now?" Raito asked, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"For now, we're going to take a break." Laika said. "In a few hours, we'll be taking the Morskoy Lev up the river and stopping at the capital. Someone is waiting to meet you all."

In the aftermath of the battle, the Robot Masters disembarked from their machines to get some fresh air. Laika disembarked from the Seeker as well, leaving it locked on the shore, and casually strolled around, stretching his legs.

"That was… new." Raito said as he sat on a bench overlooking the beach with his nearly identical cousin.

"Another day, another set of surprises." Maito agreed with a nod. "I wonder what we'll get to see tomorrow."

"Finally!" a familiar voice cried out through some sort of loudspeakers, tired and exasperated.

"Huh? Who's that?" Raito asked.

The silvery robot armed with spear and shield dashed in their direction and then came to an abrupt full stop, slumping into a low sitting position. The hatch in the back of its head popped open and a very angry looking young woman jumped outside, landing in a crouching stance. From above, out of sight, Sage watched with a grin, knowing what was to come.

"_Bet you didn't see that coming." _the Guardian thought. Behind him, the three Pantheon units, wearing strange backpacks with rigid wings with turbines mounted in their structure and thrusters on the rear and lower section, hovered in position as their pilots exchanged confused glances.

"Sir?" a young woman's voice asked.

"Aren't we going down there?" another young woman's voice added.

"Not just yet." Sage replied.

"Hey… is that…?" Maito thought out loud as he spotted the petite form, clad in a pink dress.

"Sis?" Atreus called out. "What are you doing here?"

She swiftly ran up to him... and gave him a headbutt square in the chest.

"Ow!" he cried out. "What was that for?"

"Maybe running off on your own and not coming home for almost a week?!" she scolded. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?!"

"I… called whenever I was able, remember?" he pointed out just as she caught him in a bear hug.

"Who's that?" Shingo wondered, more than a little impressed by the irate young woman's elegance even in such a state.

"The bane of any fighting man." Raito said with a grin as he watched them bicker.

Maria and Aya silently exchanged glances, a little taken aback.

"_It looks like he can be as silly as the rest of us." _Maria thought in amusement, seeing the taller older boy briefly resemble one of the Hikari cousins.

"_Well, this certainly does feel familiar." _Aya thought, recalling the same two boys' usual shenanigans.

"Oh… you mean his girl-" Shingo tried to ask.

"SISTER!" Amelia interrupted, glaring at him.

Above, watching and hearing everything through directional microphones, the members of Sage's escort snickered.

Amelia then turned back to her brother and continued her scolding.

"Yes, you called, but it's not exactly the same thing."

"We all have been pretty busy..." Atreus said defensively, looking immensely tired. "It's been one thing after another ever since that first attack."

"Typical..." Amelia grumbled, before putting down the backpack she was carrying and handing it to him. "Here. Fresh clothes and some food from home."

"Thanks." he said appreciatively before giving her a hug. "And I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Well, like it or not, you're stuck with me now." she said, puffing her cheeks.

"So Mom and Dad roped you into this too then?" he asked with a sigh.

"They wanted both of us piloting that thing." she said, giving the Apotheosis a dirty look. "I guess they knew how much of a pain those two can be if you're dealing with their crap alone."

"You can say that again..." he muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

"Perhaps you feel that you are being treated… unfairly?" the Father asked sarcastically.

"You have already altered the deal enough." the Son intervened. "Now quiet."

Raito and Maito approached the siblings, smiling like idiots but somehow managing not to laugh.

"I can't say I'm surprised that you two would be here too." Amelia said, glancing at the nearly identical cousins with a smile. "And Aya, of course. But I do see some new faces here."

"Who's the lady?" Maria asked.

"No need for formalities." Amelia said, though visibly delighted by her politeness. "I'm just a year older than those two and Aya."

"Really?" Maria asked with her eyes nearly bulging out. "You look like some kind of teacher already."

"Just part-time assistant teacher at Asimov University for now." Amelia clarified. "I'm still working on my degrees."

"Degrees, plural?!" Maria asked, clearly excited.

"Looks like you've already made a fan." Raito remarked, his smile widening. "This is Maria Higure. Do you remember hearing my Dad's stories about his favorite teacher? Meet the next generation."

"I can definitely see the resemblance from the pictures he showed us." Amelia said, crouching slightly to take a better look at Maria's face. "So cute! Already dressing like a proper lady."

"Of course." Maria said with pride. "If I wanna follow in my Mom's footsteps I've got to look the part."

"_They could almost pass for sisters." _Atreus thought as he watched them with a fond smile. _"This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."_

"So…" Maria pondered. "If you're a year older than them, then how old is Mister At-"

"Mister?!" Atreus interjected. "Do I really look that old? I'm just a year and a half older than her."

"Really?" Maria asked, a little baffled by the height difference. "What have they been feeding you?"

"Everything?" Amelia quipped.

"She probably gets that tongue from our mother and grandmother's side." Atreus said, lowering his voice to a whisper as he leaned closer to Maria.

He then grinned.

"And the height." he added. "She's a bit sensitive about that part though."

"Why you..." Amelia grumbled.

"Careful, Miss Teacher." Atreus teased. "You don't want to set a bad example for an impressionable future colleague."

For their part, the nearly identical cousins just snickered.

"Oh, before I forget." Amelia said, quickly changing the subject. "Come on, open it. There are a couple of surprises in there for you."

Atreus gave her a quizzical look and reached into the backpack, finding two wrapped bundles.

"Cookies from Grandma." Amelia said with a smile. "And the other… well, see for yourself."

In the second bundle, Atreus found a full piloting suit, with boots and gloves included, blue as the sky, made out of some synthetic material he was not familiar and seemingly intended to cover him from neck to toe. It was ornamented with the familiar insignia in the shape of a golden trident with clockwork wings on the sides of the arms, as well as a different one over the chest – a shield decorated with a winged sword. Tucked away in one of the gloves, he found a handwritten note.

"We had hoped to give this to you in person before you left." his father's handwriting read. "You have been saddled with a terrible burden for the sake of the world. For that, you have our deepest apologies. We did everything we could to keep this from happening – and, failing that, to prepare for these dark times. There is much more we want to say to both of you, but we will do so in person.

The skies are yours now. Let the whole world see you soar, but please come back in one piece, Little Prince.

P.S.: Take good care of your sister."

"I still don't know what they were thinking..." Atreus said, sitting down on the ground. "Either way, it must have been a very painful choice to put us in this situation."

"Yes..." Amelia said, sitting next to him. "We'll get the full story from them eventually. But for now..."

She then smiled softly and hugged him.

"You're stuck with me. So you'd better not do anything crazy."

Suddenly Laika stepped into view once again, sprinting out of the Seeker.

"Sorry to interrupt, but our work here is not finished yet." he said.

"Let's hear it." Dex said, cracking his knuckles.

"Second wave." Laika said simply. "Heading straight for the capital. It looks like the ones you wrecked earlier were just testing the waters."

"Wonderful." Aya said with a smirk. "These curs are absolutely infuriating. All of this wanton destruction – for what?!"

"Well..." Dex said, cracking his knuckles. "If we manage to catch one of those alive before those military types get there, maybe we'll find out."

With no time to board the submarine again, they instead proceeded by land. This time, Laika followed side by side instead of bothering with camouflage or other tricks.

As they headed further inland, into heavily urbanized areas, they were greeted by a different sight than usual. The typical humanoid alien robots and remote control drones were still present, but they were accompanied by other robots of a bulkier model, four in total.

"I guess Dad was right." Raito pondered, eyeing them warily. "We've just been fighting weaker scout units so far."

"There are far less of them this time." Shingo pondered. "Do they think those four are enough to make up for the difference?"

"Well then..." Maito chimed in as his eyes lit up again. "Time to assume direct control."

While the drones were definitely a hassle, there were still plenty of unmanned enemy units to face the harassment of their tiny laser beam emitters. However, the actual alien pilots started getting aggravated and reckless. A trio of them decided to try their luck with the yellow Robot Master, opening fire on it.

"Annoying buzzards..." Aya grumbled, her ladylike demeanor momentarily faltering as a lucky shot from the aliens struck the Spark Machine's left shoulder, melting a tiny hole in the armor plating. As it prepared to turn around and have another go at her, she clawed her robot's fingers and raised a hand at it. In a burst of lightning, its components fried.

Amelia charged in, impaling one of the unmanned units through the chest with the Hoplon's spear and then bashing it with the shield. While nowhere near as proficient with the weapon as Fairy Leviathan, she was feeling a little more comfortable with it.

Meanwhile the X-1 peppered another target with rapid fire and the Guts Machine, in increasingly typical fashion, grabbed one of the others and used it as a club, smashing four others to bits before unceremoniously throwing it away.

Maria seized every opportunity she could find, blasting targets with Gemini Beams and Crescent Cutters while her brother provided support with his Drill Missiles.

Aya continued her judicious applications of electric shock therapy.

Atreus helped wherever he could, but the sensation of fighting in the middle of such a metropolis left him feeling uneasy, especially after having been assaulted with the unwanted awareness of the countless sparks of life around him twice before.

As for Laika, he was absolutely devastating with the Seeker's sniper rifle, landing shot after shot with inhuman accuracy and bringing his targets down with the same ease one would destroy a clay pigeon in competitions of old.

"Vam yeshche veselo?" his longtime partner SearchMan chimed in from inside the Seeker's innards. Laika just laughed in response.

The Robot Masters were becoming increasingly effective at fighting together, even moreso with the unexpected additions, and soon enough only the four armored units remained, having stayed perfectly still the entire time.

"Well now..." a voice suddenly said with a robotic intonation. "This should be interesting."

One of the armored units stepped closer, coming into full view. Its limbs were definitely thicker than those of the lesser models, and the entire body was covered in denser plating in a purplish silver shade. They were also taller, surveying their surroundings with a crimson visor. Of the four machines, one was carrying what looked like some sort of grenade launcher, the other a heavy machine gun, the third a cannon of some sort and the fourth a gigantic maul of all things, all clearly built from the same otherworldly materials as the machines.

"So, did you get tired of throwing your remote control toys at us?" Dex shouted, the Guts Machine making a taunting motion with its right hand.

"Do not be too proud of yourselves." the alien pilot with the grenade launcher retorted. "You have earned our attention, but that only means you will be facing the Armored Brigade next."

"Bring it!" Dex shouted. "We owe you bastards some payback for all this destruction!"

"You weaklings can't even defend yourselves properly." the alien scoffed. "Putting you out of your misery now will be a mercy."

With that, the armored machine lifted a foot, as if about to kick a nearby office building.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Dex roared.

With that, the Guts Machine charged forward, trying not to step on any of the cars still left on the road after the appearance of the first alien machines and the hasty evacuation that had followed. It took a mighty swing with its right fist at the alien machine… only for the target to block. The alien substance forming the armor groaned from the strain and the impact left a visible dent, but this machine was clearly much sturdier than its predecessors.

"That won't work here." the alien pilot taunted.

The Guts Brothers stayed calm and collected, all things considered, but Raito and Maito silently fumed. As the X-1 charged its Buster, Atreus cast the alien machine a furious look and moved in to flank it while the pilot was distracted.

"So what?!" Shingo retorted. "You think you're better than us, when you hide out of sight and send your mindless butchers against unarmed people on foot?! Go to hell!"

In their short time fighting alongside the others, the three martial artists were becoming better at reading their quirks and patterns. The Guts Machine grabbed its opponent's wrists, pinning it in place for what the Guts Brothers knew was to come.

"BOOST KNUCKLE!" the irate skinny boy roared, his voice at this point beginning to sound a little strained from all the screaming he had done in recent days. The flying drills pierced their target but, rather than breaking through, instead ended up lodged in the plating, spinning uselessly. They definitely did a fair amount of damage, but not to the spectacular extent they had to previous targets.

"Are you done?" the alien taunted as a grumbling Shingo recalled the forearms.

"He may be." Atreus intervened, once again feeling a surge of anger. "I'm not."

Just as it had during his inaugural battle, the Celestial Blade's crossguard opened and the blade extended to a ludicrous length. Atreus pointed it at the sky and glared once again at his quarry.

"Whoa..." Raito muttered. "Now I definitely want one of-"

"Focus!" Maito scolded.

For her part, Amelia momentarily froze in place, interrupting the Hoplon's charge.

"_Wait a minute..." _she thought, caught by surprise. Witnessing it for the first time, she was struck by the same strange disorientation he had felt in his inaugural battle when revealing the blade's full size.

This group of aliens had just arrived. They had not yet had time to unleash the indiscriminate carnage of their previous descents on populated areas. Atreus intended to keep it that way.

"Your existence is rejected." he growled as he brought the blade down like a guillotine, splitting the armored alien robot down the middle. The Guts Brothers barely had time move their machine away in a start before the severed remains exploded.

"Exploding sword cuts?!" Dex muttered. "This is just like my-"

"Not now bro!" Chisao interrupted.

The pilots of the remaining three armored machines did not take the destruction of their compatriot idly. Instead, they charged into the fray, surprisingly swift for the armored bulk of their frames.

"You will pay for that you worthless primitives!" the pilot of the machine with the heavy machine gun hissed as he took point.

"Charge it." Raito retorted as he unleashed a charged shot, striking it directly in the faceplate.

"That was a terrible pun." Maito said. "But a nice shot."

The charged shot had indeed done visible damage, melting through a portion of the alloys, but it had not gone nearly deep enough. In retaliation, the alien raised the oversized weapon and fired, unleashing what looked like some sort of elongated energy projectiles with a purple tint.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a hangar within a hidden underground facility not too far away…

"What are we waiting for?!" the pilot inside the crimson machine asked with a hint of annoyance. "Why aren't we scrambling again?"

"Patience, Captain." another man replied as the Gespenst Shildritter finished rearming after returning from another mission.

"You must be Devon." the pilot in the red machine said.

"My reputation precedes me, I see." Captain Devon said. "I've heard about you two as well, of course."

"So, what do you think of all of this?" the pilot inside the white machine asked.

"I think we live in interesting times." Captain Devon said flatly. "What we do here will change things for years to come… for better and for worse."

"And what of these… Robot Masters?" the pilot inside the red machine asked.

"I won't deny that they're capable, but I'd rather not have children fight." Captain Devon said, his tone betraying his distaste. "Let's make sure they make it home in one piece, shall we?"

A few other military machines came to life in the hangar as their pilots began the pre-launch check. Moments later, they boarded a massive black aircraft of some sort. Two minutes later, in a cargo hold sheltered from the screaming of the turbines, Captain Devon proceeded to brief the other eleven soldiers.

"While our visitors are busy on the south side, another group of those aliens has struck from the north. It's impossible to evacuate an area this densely populated on the fly, so we have a whole lot of civilians pinned down. To make matters more complicated, the aliens are bringing out some new armored toys. Don't hold anything back, but watch your fire and don't go falling over buildings."

He then paused and the Gespenst's head emphatically turned to one of the machines, painted in a green and yellow pattern.

"Especially you." the Captain added.

The other men and women present laughed.

"Jokes aside, the Kinetic Strike Module has turned out to be a great asset." the man in the crimson machine said appreciatively.

"That said..." the man in the white machine spoke his piece. "Do you think R&D will give my suggestion some thought?"

"Sorry to break it to you, but…" the pilot in the crimson machine said lightheartedly. "I don't think that thing is going to work unless you're psychic or something. Is there anything you want to share with us?"

"You'll be the first to know." the pilot inside the white robot replied with a scoff.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Robot Masters fought on.

"Ready to take us seriously now?" Aya growled.

"Your funeral, child." the alien at the front retorted, before taking aim.

The Guts Machine dove in to cover Aya and took a full burst of fire from the heavy machine gun, which gouged ugly holes in its frontal plate. Atreus moved in, interposing his construct between them. As his construct began to take the impacts instead, the strange spherical energy barrier flickered into the visible spectrum, standing strong under the onslaught, but he did not know how long it would hold.

"Are you going to tell me anything useful about this thing?" he asked, rather annoyed at the entities for not speaking when it was actually needed.

"The Aura Barrier is as strong as your will." the Father said dismissively. "Therefore I suggest not relying too much on it."

Annoyed even further by the remark, Atreus focused, eager to prove the annoying entity wrong. The barrier held, withstanding a full barrage on its own. The prolonged fighting in two back-to-back battles, however, was beginning to take a toll on him, and as a result he saw it briefly flicker.

Emulating the Spark Machine, the cousins moved in and the X-1 let out a Spark Shock. The surface of the alien robot with the cannon shimmered and let out a few puffs of smoke, but was still moving.

It was then that an idea crossed Aya's mind.

"Shingo." she said simply.

"What?" he asked, a little suspicious of her intentions.

"You've done a decent job so far reading your machine's specs." she said, trying not to rile him up. "But have you read your the others'?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, even more suspicious.

"The Spark Machine isn't just about cackling about unlimited power and whatnot." she said with a smug grin. "It produces way more energy than it actually needs. So let me ask you this. How fast can those drill of yours spin with a little extra power?"

"How about we find out?" he retorted, clenching his teeth.

The Spark Machine's capacitors flared and electricity started arcing between the needles mounted on its back and wrists.

"Safeties off." Aya said as she pushed a sequence of buttons on the control console. "Stand clear everyone."

Not knowing what might happen, the others gave the Spark and Drill Machines a wide berth while the Guts Brothers and the Neo Atlantean siblings held the line. The Hikari cousins, for their part, alternated between taking potshots at their armored adversaries and glancing at the two machines, curious about what was going to happen next.

"Energizer!" Aya cried out as a strange beam of golden energy shot out from the center of the Spark Machine's chest, forming an almost tangible tether. Shingo was a little nervous at the glowing display, but stood firm, and in less than a second the output on the Drill Machine skyrocketed.

"Oh, it's on now!" Shingo growled as the drills mounted on the machine's shoulders and wrists started spinning simultaneously. Instead of attaching the back drills to the machine's forearms as usual, he instead pointed them forward, aiming a total of six at his target. Then two more sprouted from the knees.

As the canon toting alien machine edged closer, the shy, socially awkward boy who just wanted to play video games in peace and keep his sister safe momentarily seemed to turn into a wild animal, baring his teeth. He opened up with a volley of Drill Missiles, unloading his entire reserve in one burst. Before the first even struck the target, he charged forward, surprising even the Guts Brothers with his reckless abandon.

"RIP AND TEAR!" he roared.

Just like his predecessors, the alien pilot underestimated his opponents and, just like the others, soon found himself paying the price for his arrogance. Even as the Drill Missiles pelted his machine, gouging holes across the surface, he tried to shoot down the charging Drill Machine, but the projectile bounced off the left shoulder drill and was hurled into the distance, exploding harmlessly mid-air.

Then Shingo finished crossing the distance, moving faster than he had ever before, and rammed the shoulder drills into the alien armature. The metal groaned and sparks flew at the points of contact, while he proceeded to punch his target in the chest, puncturing it with the wrist mounted drills over and over again. He was so caught up in this that he did not notice the warnings lighting up on the display. The others, however, did, as smoke began to rise from it.

"Damnit, it's overheating!" Raito cried out in alarm.

Aya immediately cut the power but the supercharged Drill Machine still had plenty of energy left after such a jolt. Finally realizing what was going on, Shingo attached the shoulder drills to the forearms once again, then rammed both of them in the alien robot's chest at the same time, tearing a massive hole. While the machine's bulk meant they wouldn't pierce all the way through, they effectively ripped through its innards, rendering it completely useless. The alarms became more persistent, however and, knowing that he likely had a few seconds before his overheating Drill Machine was unable to keep fighting, delivered one final insult, driving the drill mounted on the right knee into the other robot's groin before jumping back. The alien assault cannon, easier the size of a bus, slipped out of its wielder's grasp and fell to the ground.

"Maybe that was a little excessive..." he muttered to himself as he watched the mangled robot, leaking some sort of thick hydraulic fluid and barely able to stand. "But it was most cathartic."

Then as the emergency circuit breakers kicked in, the Drill Machine came to a stop, belching smoke.

"Sorry guys..." he said with a sigh. "I'll have to leave the rest to you for today."

"No worries." Raito said as the X-1 and the Guts Machine charged ahead. "Just stay safe."

"You just had to show off, didn't you?" Maria asked with a smirk.

"_Still..." _she thought. _"If those two can work together when needed, maybe there's actually some hope for them."_

Meanwhile, Atreus and Amelia tried to keep the robot with the heavy machine gun at bay. With both of them being equipped with melee weapons, their first priority was getting up close. Between the Aura Barrier and the Hoplon's shield, they managed to cross most of the distance, but the sheer volume of projectiles hurtling towards them at any given moment was giving them a hard time as Amelia was still unaccustomed to fighting with her machine's armaments and Atreus was more concerned with covering her than actually attacking. The fatigue from two battles in a row was slowing him down somewhat as well.

"Change of plans." Amelia said as the Apotheosis fired its eye beams, more as a distraction than an actual attack.

"I'm listening." Atreus said, keeping the Celestial Blade, now back to a more reasonable size, raised in front of his construct.

"Even that thing can't shoot in more than one direction at once and that relic of yours is a tad sturdier than the Hoplon."

"Pincer?" he asked, discerning her intent.

"Pincer." she confirmed.

The Apotheosis broke into a head on charge while the Hoplon darted behind it, taking advantage of its new flight capabilities to glide at high speed slightly above the ground. While unleashing the blade's full power was always an option, Atreus was still wary of doing so after what had happened before and somewhat concerned about accidentally hitting someone else. Meanwhile, his senses were once again assaulted by the strange sight of flickering flames and he struggled to avoid getting distracted. In a massively populated city, teeming with life, it was an uphill struggle.

Taking in the full brunt of the alien's relentless shooting, the Aura Barrier eventually began to sputter as he continued his charge.

"_Doesn't that thing ever run out of ammunition?!" _he thought in annoyance as he brought his blade down on a wide swing. However, he put way too much force into the blow and missed, with the blade nearly flying out of his grip.

Amelia, on the other hand, did not miss, and the Hoplon's spear pierced the side of the alien robot, in a spot where the armor was slightly thinner.

As the X-1 unleashed a charged shot, the pilot of the armored machine with the maul tried to dodge, but then Maria decided to unleash the strange overly bright beam again, temporarily blinding the pilot. Laika bit down a curse as one of his shots missed due to the Guts Machine trying to engage the maul toting robot in fisticuffs.

Laika then eyed the machine gun wielder instead and took aim once again. Just as Atreus took another swing, severing the weapon's barrel, a compressed tungsten projectile somehow slipped right through the alien machine's visor, shredding the electronics inside. Had the cockpit been located in the head like with previous models, the pilot would have been killed instantly. Instead, the machine was effectively blinded. Another burst of lightning from the Spark Machine pinned it in place, though it was not enough to finish the job.

It was then that something appeared on the horizon, swooping down from the clouds above the sea.

"What the hell is that?!" Dex cried out as a towering humanoid form clad in green and white plating darted in their direction at impossible speeds.

With both of its purple energy blades ignited, the Great Harpuia shifted into a prone position in mid-air, and held both of them forward over its head. The machine then started spinning like a bullet through the barrel of a gun, picking up even more speed until it completely tore through its target, emerging on the other side and then flying away. With this, the machine exploded and its mangled remains toppled over.

He had instructed Amelia to go ahead on her own, promising to intervene at the right time. Truth be told, he had been watching like a hawk, ready to pounce as soon as he thought she and the others were in any kind of actual danger… and to go in with a bang.

Meanwhile, still disoriented and barely able to see, the final invader dropped the maul and, losing all sense of shame, tried to flee in a random direction.

"Looks like we've got another fan of the classics here." Dex remarked with a grin.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sage retorted as he stopped his machine in mid-air.

"He sure knows how to make an entrance..." one of the female pilots from Colbor's unit remarked through a private channel, watching from a distance with the other two.

"Don't tell me you're crushing on him now, Jaune." Colbor remarked with an amused smirk.

"Says the Fairy fan." the woman replied.

"Lies and slander." Colbor protested in mock outrage. "Now hush."

"That move you just pulled?" Dex pointed out. "I've seen it before."

"Impossible." Sage said, sounding slightly irritated. "I've spent a considerable amount of time developing the Tornado Bullet maneuver."

Meanwhile...

"You're so full of shit..." Fighter muttered to himself as he watched the scene unfold from the Sanctum with a large bucket of popcorn resting on his lap.

As it turned out, the massive metal chair Cadmus and Ciel had inherited from the Founders along with everything else in the building made for a surprisingly good home theater when combined with the large monitors mounted on the wall in front of it.

"That's not its name, and ya know it!" Dex insisted as the Guts Machine prepared to aim another Rocket Punch at the fleeing alien. The flying fist blasted through the sky and struck its target in the back of the head, sending it tumbling forward. Defeated and humiliated, it simply lay there.

* * *

At the same time, at the Hikari Laboratory's mission control room...

"Really, Dr. Hikari..." an older man's voice said disapprovingly. "I must insist that you and your associates refrain from such actions."

Lan cast a venomous glare at the middle-aged man standing next to him in a black business suit with impeccably groomed hair.

"Oh, let us have our fun." he grumbled.

"Your fun, as you call it, is the reason Madame Ayanokoji-Chaud requested my presence." the man countered in a perfectly flat tone. "We cannot have you whittle away the Laboratory's operational budget fending off lawsuits for copyright infringement now can we?"

"Lawyers..." Lan grumbled.

"This is for your own good, Dr. Hikari." the man said. "I take no joy in it."

And with that, he scribbled a few more lines on a pocket notebook with a black cover.

"_No fun allowed..." _Lan thought, rolling his eyes. _"Dick move, Yai."_

For a moment, with that sulking look on his face, he looked like the irreverent boy he had once been. Mayl and Roll, who were visiting the laboratory at the time, exchanged amused glances as they watched his reaction.

* * *

"Uncle Sage?" Atreus called out. "You're a long way from home."

"So are you." Sage retorted with a smile. "It's a good thing you managed to stay in one piece so far."

"Are you here to bring me home?" Atreus asked hesitantly.

"Not just yet." the Guardian said. "It would be bad form to try to have you leave now, don't you think?"

"I can't say I'm surprised you'd have your own personally themed machine after all the strange things I've seen the last couple of days." Atreus remarked. "I'm guessing the others have their own as well."

"Yes, but they are not ready for flight just yet, so I'm all you're getting for today… in that department, at least."

"What do you mean?" Atreus asked.

"You'll find out soon enough." Sage retorted before the Great Harpuia emphatically looked over his shoulder.

"Are you going to stand around gawking and snickering, or are you going to introduce yourselves?" he asked.

The three flying Pantheon machines descended into view as well, landing in front of the others in a few moments.

"Hey..." Raito remarked. "What's with the X-1 knockoffs? And why can they fly when ours can't?"

"I prefer to think of them as cousins." Colbor chimed in. "The Pantheon units stem from the same line of research, with a few twists of their own."

"And you are?" Maito asked.

"Lieutenant-Commander Colbor, of the Pantheon Corps. These are Master Sergeants Rouge and Jaune, and we serve under the Four Guardians."

"Explain." Atreus said, staring at his sister.

"I don't know all the details, but apparently..." she elaborated. "Apparently there was a lot of back and forth while the Robot Masters were in the design stage. I only found out about all of this after you left, mind you. The bottom line is, while the Robot Masters were designed to have their particular strengths, with the X-1 being a Swiss army knife of sorts, the Pantheon units are more streamlined, with versatility in mind."

"Yes, they swap between utility packs to suit the conditions of the battlefield." Sage added. "While their specs aren't as high as those of some other machines, they can hold their own."

"So..." Raito said. "I'm curious. Do they have the Variable Weapon System too?"

"No." Sage said, shaking his head. "Though they do have their own Busters. The rest of their armaments are external. The Imperative and the Affirmative tried to strike a balance between agility, durability and something easy to repair or replace."

"Why though?" Raito asked. "Super Robots are awesome!"

"While your custom machines are impressive..." Sage conceded. "If one of them were to get seriously damaged I suspect the specialized components inside could only be replaced at the source."

"I'm surprised." Shingo said. "I thought Neo Atlantis despised warfare."

"It does." Sage clarified. "But it despises those who threaten Earth even more."

"Hey!" Dex shouted indignantly. "That bastard is getting away!"

As they turned to the source of his outrage, they saw the final alien machine back on its feet, making another attempt to flee. Out of nowhere, an ornate lance made out of some sort of golden metal, flew through the air and planted itself on the ground mere millimeters away from it.

"The next one won't miss." a male voice intervened.

Holding a regally decorated sword and shield, both made of a silvery metal, a white machine strode into the scene in slow, measured steps. Its design design resembled a more fantastical version of a knight of old, its bright armor glistening in the sun as a crimson cloak fluttered behind it. On its chest was the familiar insignia that Queen Pride would often wear as her personal symbol since her younger days, while the kite shield strapped to its left arm was emblazoned with three golden lions. The rest of the machine clearly shared the same motif as the shoulder plates were shaped like lion heads and a set of three claws were anchored in the back of each hand.

"Stand down." the pilot shouted, pointing the sword at the panicking foe. "Stand down and repent. I will not ask again."

"Just get it over with, primate." the pilot spat back.

"I am not like you." the man within the regal machine retorted.

With that, the towering knight turned to the other champions.

"Apologies for the tardiness." he said as the machine raised its hand and the lance obediently flew back. "I was delayed by another band of miscreants on the way here."

"Such regal bearing..." Atreus mused. "Such poise..."

"Dude, this is no place to be getting a man crush." Raito teased, though he couldn't help admiring the newcomer's style as well.

There was something else that drew their attention, however.

"Watch yourself, boy." the Father cautioned. "There is… something strange about that construct."

"Something… familiar." the Son corrected.

As the machine stepped closer, the entities inside the Apotheosis began to stir again. For some reason, the two white knights, each the exact same height, stared at each other across the distance, and while the others were not sure what was happening, they could feel some strange resonance between them.

"And this presence… This can only mean one thing!" Atreus said, rushing ahead excitedly despite the warning. More important to him than the strange resonance was something else he realized he had stumbled upon. A kindred spirit.

"What the hell are ya doin'?!" Dex shouted.

Raito and Maito exchanged glances.

"I've never seen him act like this before..." Raito whispered to his cousin, dropping the jokes in genuine concern.

The Apotheosis raised its blade and pointed it at the lion-themed machine.

"Answer me, good sir!" Atreus called out. "The Code of the Knight!"

"_What?"_ Maito thought, utterly confused by the abrupt and bizarre display.

"The Quixotic Codex!" the voice of a young man called back from inside. "The Impossible Dream!"

"_Wait... what?"_ Raito thought, just as lost as he realized the two shared the same brand of insanity.

The other machine raised its sword and loudly banged it on its shield.

"With honor and compassion!"

"Justice to friend and foe alike!" Atreus shouted.

"A shield to the innocent and the downtrodden!" the voice inside shouted back.

"With restraint and mercy, but..." Atreus added.

"Smiting all evil!" both of them shouted together.

"_What the hell __did we just watch__?"_ the cousins thought as they exchanged awkward glances.

"I would have your name, good sir." the newcomer said.

"I am Atreus Atreides. Who might you be?"

"Of course you are." the other pilot said with a hint of amusement in his tone. "You never change."

The nearly identical cousins exchanged glances, definitely recognizing the voice. For her part, Aya just grinned. Amelia, on the other hand, chuckled, not surprised at all by what she was witnessing.

"This is so like him!" she said.

"Care to fill the rest of us in?" Raito asked, at a complete loss.

For his part, Laika just watched from a distance.

"They do so love their theatrics..." he muttered to himself.

"Where have you been, Prince Charming?" Aya called out teasingly out of nowhere.

"I thought I'd asked you not to call me that." the newcomer protested, his embarrassment noticeable in his voice.

Atreus glanced at her in surprise.

"You… know him?"

He then looked back at the lion-themed knight-errant and laughed as something clicked in his mind.

"Of course! It had to be you!"

"I suppose the cat is out of the bag." a ridiculously handsome man around Atreus' age said as his soft face came into view on everyone's screens, sporting short, smooth golden hair and a very distinctive pair of red eyes. "Sean Alexander, at your service. This is my partner, the Leonarch, Pride of Albion."

"Of course..." Atreus said with a smile. "But wow… you're definitely looking much bigger than last time. Your voice is deeper too. No wonder I didn't recognize it."

"Four years, give or take." Alexander recalled. "You look like you've done a bit of growing yourself."

"You knew each other already?" Aya asked, a little surprised. While her parents routinely traveled the world and were on a first name basis with several rulers and other high officials, she knew that the Neo Atlantean siblings rarely traveled to such distant lands.

"In a manner of speaking." Atreus said. "Since we're around the same age and the Queen is acquainted with my parents, she would sometimes sneak to our seaside plot when she needed to take a week off."

This made sense to Aya, seeing how Queen Pride was an old friend of the Hikari twins, and through them she had eventually become acquainted with a good portion of their friends. Shingo, on the other hand, was impressed by the young man's poise and confidence… and perhaps a little jealous of the boisterous confidence he was putting on display.

"So this is what you've been up to!" Raito said with a smile. "But I didn't know you and Atreus already knew each other."

The scion of Neo Atlantis then smiled, thinking back to old shenanigans.

"You may probably have heard that I started learning the way of the sword after my father caught me practicing with a broomstick in the pantry. What you may not have heard is who exactly I was sparring with at the time."

"And now, here we are." Alexander said with a beaming smile. "Reunited under such unusual circumstances. Welcome, one and all, to my homeland."

For emphasis, his leonine construct bowed in a most gentlemanly manner.

"Please, there's no need for that." Shingo said awkwardly, feeling a little uncomfortable to have royalty bow to him.

"It is only proper." Alexander said with a soft smile as he moved in to assist the immobilized Drill Machine. "As a representative of my family and nation, as a knight, and as someone welcoming old and new friends alike."

Amelia moved the Hoplon closer as well but Maria got there sooner. The Gemini Machine sprayed some sort of shimmering mist, which burst into steam upon touching the green robot.

"Are you OK in there?" Maria asked as she glanced at her brother's machine.

"I think it's cooled down enough that I can try to restart it." Shingo said. "Still, we're going to have to do something about this overheating."

"I am glad that you are unharmed." Alexander said.

The leonine knight's head then turned, looking into the distance.

"And now… there's someone else waiting to see you."

"Don't tell me..." Maito said with a smile.

"Come!" Alexander said with glee. "The tea must be ready by now, and I'm guessing you could all use some time to sit down."

"Well done everyone." Lan chimed in through the communications channel as his face appeared on the screens. "You're definitely getting the hang of this."

Praise from his parents was like candy to Raito, and he gladly accepted it. His cousin enjoyed it as well, but his reaction was more sober and subdued.

Lan then paused and furrowed his brow.

"That said, when Sean and Pride said they were going to take our warnings seriously, I didn't expect this."

"You mean you didn't know about this Leonarch machine?" Raito asked. "I thought that maybe this was another of your surprises."

"I knew it existed, seeing how they called me when they first found it." Lan clarified. "I didn't expect a certain prince to be piloting it, but after what happened with another certain prince, I guess I should have."

Atreus knew very well that Lan was referring to the nickname his parents had given him in his childhood, and was visibly embarrassed to be called that in public, but did not comment on it.

"So..." Raito spoke his mind. "What now?"

"Go on ahead." Hub chimed in. "Say hi to Pride for us. It's been far too long since the last time we were all together."

"I will join you later." Laika said. "It's time to take the Morskoy Lev upstream and get it ready to pick up up when you're done here."

"And you?" Amelia asked, her machine glancing at Sage's.

"I did come here mostly to ensure that you arrived safely… and that a certain someone didn't get carried away." Sage said. "But it would be rude of me to leave without at least paying my respects."

"Orders, Sir?" Colbor asked.

"You can either come with us..." Sage mused. "Or you can consider yourselves on shore leave until we conclude our business here. Your choice."

"Are you kidding?" Rouge chimed in.

"When will we ever get another chance like this?" Jaune added excitedly.

Another machine, similar in design to the Leonarch but more subdued in its ornaments, with bulkier plating and painted in a stony gray, stepped into view, carrying a massive mace.

"Glad you could make it." a gruff older man's voice said from inside.

The gray machine then turned to the prone alien robot, whose pilot was far too busy trying not to panic to even consider running away.

"I shall haul this miscreant to the stockade." he said. "Alexander, kindly inform Her Highness that I will return shortly."

"Of course, Sir Galahad." Alexander said with a polite nod. "My apologies for leaving you to clean up after us."

"You are still young." the older man said fondly. "Go spend some time with your friends."

Lan and Hub smiled as they recognized the older man's voice from times long gone. The Queen's faithful protector had changed with the times as well.

"If you do want to come." Sage said to his subordinates. "Remember to be on your best behavior."

After a leisurely stroll through the city that gave the Robot Masters and friends ample time to survey the damage, they finally arrived at the royal palace. Despite the pandemonium the world was descending into, some places still remained untouched.

"Such loss..." Atreus muttered as he surveyed an apartment building with several holes and missing a large section of a wall.

"It could have been far worse." Maito pointed out.

"It does put into perspective why we are all here." Aya chimed in.

Alexander was the first to disembark outside the palace gardens and waited patiently for the others. With her smaller stature, Maria seemed to have some difficulty climbing down in her fatigued state. He took notice of this and promptly grabbed a nearby stepladder, propped it against the Gemini Machine and carried her the rest of the way down.

"Th-Thank you." she muttered, feeling a little flustered at the taller boy's courtesy. Raito might have been annoyed at the situation, but he knew that his intentions were perfectly innocent.

Once everyone was on the ground, a group of palace guards in their ornate, picturesque crimson uniforms, proceeded to set up a perimeter to ensure that none of their machines were so much as glanced at by unauthorized personnel. While their traditional outfits and halberds looked like something out of a history book, the shiny assault rifles strapped to their backs were quite modern.

The palace had stood for centuries and its old-fashioned elegance was inimitable. Once the group stepped through the garden gates following the young prince, they couldn't help stopping here and there to admire it. Even Aya, who due to being from a rich family was used to traveling around the world and witnessing opulent sights, was enthralled.

"This place almost makes you forget what's going on outside, doesn't it?" Maito remarked, taking in the smell of the flowers.

"Almost." Alexander said. "But we cannot allow that to happen. There are too many people looking to us for guidance."

After a few more minutes walking past hedges and flowerbeds, Alexander led them through a heavy side door, which at first sight looked like old-fashioned wood but turned out to be made of solid metal, outfitted with a state-of-the-art lock. Every few steps they took on the carpeted halls there was a guard standing at attention with their back against a wall. Their piloting suits definitely turned some heads among the palace staff, but the guards, living up to their reputation, did not stare. As the group went by, each of them saluted, and the prince made sure to return the gesture. Not wanting to be rude in another's home, the others did the same.

After a few more minutes moving through ornate halls, past walls decorated with old paintings, coats of arms and archaic sabers and assorted tapestries, they came upon a larger double door, fashioned out of some sort of golden metal and ornamented with elaborate engravings, flanked by two guards.

"Mother, Father!" Alexander announced with a beaming smile as he crossed the threshold. "Our guests are here!"

In the throne room they found a radiant beauty, like something out of a fairy tale. In one of her typical white dresses with matching gloves and shoes, the Queen stood tall and graceful, wearing a modest but elegant golden circlet with a winged motif and a large gem. Though she was old enough to be the mother of most of her guests, she looked barely a few years older than them. Her smooth golden hair cascaded down her back and her azure eyes surveyed the newcomers. As she did so, a smile bloomed on her soft face.

"It's as if I'd gone back in time." she said softly, staring at Raito and Maito in particular.

Unsure how to conduct themselves in front of royalty, even though they were acquainted, the Guts brothers elected to bow in the traditional manner of martial artists.

For his part, Shingo felt as if he had been struck by lightning. While he did not normally care what people thought of his appearance, especially his unruly hair, he felt incredibly self-conscious in the Queen's presence and discreetly tried to rein in the worst of it as his face took on a shade of crimson. This did not escape Aya's notice, and she leered at him with an annoyed scowl.

"_Are you truly such a superficial buffoon?"_ she thought, rolling her eyes. _"Why do I even care?!"_

Truth be told, she felt a little self-conscious when comparing herself to the Queen, but her warm presence quickly brushed such thoughts aside.

"Welcome to our home." Queen Pride said, opening her arms. "Friends old and new."

Then, to almost everyone's surprise, she proceeded to hug the nearly identical cousins.

"You two..." she said, absolutely beaming as she ruffled their hair. "I missed you both so much!"

Despite knowing that she was an old friend of the family and particularly fond of them, it still felt a little surreal for the cousins to find themselves in such a situation… especially in front of their friends and classmates.

"Go easy on them, dear." a man said from behind her. "They still need to breathe."

The Queen's presence was so overwhelming that the others had barely noticed the man around her age standing next to the throne, clad in a simple but elegant black business suit. His crimson eyes, like Alexander's, looked sharp, with a mischievous glimmer, and were framed by a face very similar to his, while his head was topped by platinum colored hair.

"Jealous, darling?" the Queen teased.

"Considering who they are..." Sean Obihiro said with a good-natured smile. "I'll let it slide. Good to see you again boys."

If someone had told the angry, bitter boy behind the criminal organization Gospel that he would one day find himself happily married to a beautiful, loving queen and with a dashing son, he would have thought them insane. Amusingly enough, the revelation of his past by the tabloids had only served to endear him further to the population, as most of them loved a good tale of princesses and rogues.

"I see plenty of faces here today, old and new." Pride said with a beaming smile as she turned her attention to each of them.

"Good to see you again, Dex." she said as she once again broke protocol and gave him a quick hug that left him nearly as steamed as Shingo. "How are you doing these days?"

"M-Made it to Mayor." he managed to say. "Not sure how long I'll get to keep the spot if I keep going on these adventures, but totally worth it."

She then turned her attention to Chisao.

"I still can't believe how much you've grown." she said. "You're almost as tall as your brother."

"I'm glad to see you again as well." Chisao said, bowing again. His overt formality did not save him from getting hugged as well, however.

"Have we met before?" she asked with a mischievous smile as she turned to the man known to the world as Tetsuo Oyama.

"You could say that, yes." the bulky fighter replied.

"I can hazard a pretty good guess, seeing the company you keep." the Queen said, recalling the adventures of her younger years. "I'm glad you're still with them, Guts."

"They're family." GutsMan said, accepting a quick hug as well with all the grace he could muster, a far cry from the days when beating his rival and impressing Roll were at the top of his priorities.

"How are you doing, Aya?" the Queen asked as she turned her attention to the young heiress next.

"Absolutely delighted to see you again!" Aya replied with a curtsy.

"No need to be so formal with me, dear." the Queen said, hugging her as well. "Your mother and I go too far back for that. But tell me, how is Ako?"

"Absolutely adorable as always." Aya said with an open smile. "It makes me a little jealous sometimes."

"Don't be." the Queen said. "After all, she'll be counting on you to show her how to do things."

Pride then stepped over to look at Maria.

"Oh my!" she said with the same glee one would save for the sight of a puppy. "Lan was right! It's like staring at a miniature version of his old teacher!"

"Do you know my mother?" Maria asked timidly.

"We've crossed paths a couple of times." Sean explained. "Is she still running the school?"

"She is, and I hope to join her one day." Maria said with enthusiasm.

Maria then turned to Shingo and tugged at his sleeve.

"Come on, say something. Don't be rude."

The skinny bespectacled boy looked like a deer caught in headlights for a moment, but somehow found the composure to speak.

"P-Pleased to m-meet you, Your Highness." he stuttered as he bowed his head, petrified to be the object of the Queen's direct attention. "The Professors speak very h-highly of you."

Queen Pride was no fool. Over the years she had met many young men who had displayed the same reaction. Not wanting to make him even more embarrassed, especially in front of his friends she simply patted his shoulder with her trademark beaming smile.

"You look like a bright young man, with good friends and a promising future." she said encouragingly. "Just remember to take good care of your sister."

"Always." he managed to say without stuttering.

Finally, she turned her attention to the two Neo Atlanteans, who had been quietly standing in the back of the group.

"I remember when you two were small enough to carry on one arm each." she said with a fond smile. "And now look at you both!"

Not wanting to act the fool in such distinguished company, Atreus refrained from teasing his sister about her height, instead trying to act as gracefully as possible.

"We missed you." he said, smiling and preparing for the inevitable hug she caught both of them in.

"Good to see you again." Amelia added, as she and her brother found themselves being squeezed.

For his part, Sean just greeted them with open arms.

"So, now that we got that out of the way, would you like to join us for some tea?"

"Would we ever!" Amelia said gleefully, having inherited a taste for it from her parents.

"Absolutely!" Aya added, sharing some of the same tastes.

"I just hope you prepared enough cookies." Maito remarked, leering at his cousin.

"What?" Raito protested. "It's an insult to your host's hospitality not to dig in."

"Smartass." Maito said with a scoff.

The Queen and Consort escorted the group through another door and into a hallway leading to a more secluded area of the palace where the family quarters were located. Along the way Atreus paused here and there to admire some works of art and Alexander took the time to catch up with the others. Once again Shingo found himself appreciating the young man's humility and friendly demeanor.

"_He sure does look the part." _the bespectacled boy pondered. _"But he treats everyone like equals."_

Slowly, the feeling that he was trespassing where he was not fit to walk subsided. On the other hand, Aya walked by as if she belonged there, used as she was to luxury. The Neo Atlantean siblings, for their part, treated the place with the same quiet reverence one would save for a museum. The Hikari cousins, on the other hand, walked around as if they had simply gone to visit a friend next door.

Eventually they reached a living room decorated in a surprisingly normal manner, apart from some antique paintings and carpets. Three couches, a wider one flanked by two smaller models, all three covered in soft white silk, were arranged around an ample coffee table made of carved, lacquered brown wood and decorated with silvery engravings. On it were several silver trays, laden with steaming porcelain teapots, porcelain cups, sandwiches and plates laden with cookies, still warm from the oven.

"I would very much like you to join us for dinner as well." the Queen said.

"But that's still a few hours from now, so we hope this will keep you busy until then." Sean added, before sitting on the larger of the couches, with his wife and son taking his sides. Most of the Robot Masters had heard the stories about their past, and the happiness radiating from him at that moment as he sat there in the company of family and friends made the notion that he had once been such an angry, alienated boy even more ludicrous.

A few minutes later, with everyone seated, the conversation eventually drifted to other subjects.

"So what was that all about back there?" Raito asked.

"Simply put, in the last fifteen years there's been a bit of a resurgence in interest in the old tales of chivalry around here." Alexander explained.

"But with us, it struck a bigger cord than most." Atreus added.

"Incidentally..." Alexander intervened before turning to his mother.

"Would you object to me borrowing the Curtana for a few hours, Mother?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

"Is the bigger one you keep with the Leonarch not enough, dear?" the Queen replied. "Besides, I know very well what's going through that head of yours."

"What do you mean?" Maito asked.

"You do know that some twenty years ago my mother gave a certain someone honorary citizenship and knighted him, right?" Alexander asked.

"You mean..." Raito said.

"I ended up doing the same for Hub later as well." Pride added. "Just a quiet, private thing, at his request. To be honest, I should have done it for both the first time around."

"I guess he should have spent more time running around in the physical world with the rest of us, right dear?" Sean teased. To the Hikari cousins' surprise, she actually seemed to blush lightly.

"You are absolutely terrible sometimes, dear." the Queen said, still smiling.

"I knew about the thing with my father, but..." Raito said.

"It sounds like there's more to the story than we knew." Maito added.

"Well..." Sean said with a mischievous grin. "Let's just say that a certain someone had the biggest crush on one Lan Hikari in her younger days."

Alexander looked at his father and a tiny portion of tea sprayed out of one of his nostrils.

"Say what?"

"I think at some point half his friends did." Pride said with a smile as she recalled bygone days. "Brave and kind, with a boyish charm. The worst part about it though was how dense he was. He had no idea of the effect he had on people."

"Oh..." Raito muttered, unused to hearing someone speak of his father that way.

"Of course I never stood a chance." the Queen said with a shrug. "None of us did. The girl next door always had his heart, just as he had hers without realizing it. When they finally clicked, we saw them off with smiles."

"I can definitely see something like that happening." Raito pondered, knowing that despite his parents still being madly in love, his father was still far from being able to read women's minds.

"But what does that have to do with the sword?" Maito asked, before he finally connected the dots. "Wait a minute..."

"Why not?" Alexander asked. "None of you is exactly lacking in spirit. You are already walking the path, in your own ways."

The Hikari cousins exchanged glances and then turned to the prince again.

"We're flattered and all..." Raito said.

"But I think you should save that for after we've done something actually worthy." Maito finished the sentence.

"That said..." Aya added. "If we're still all in one piece after all this is over, we might take you up on that."

Shingo and Atreus nodded their agreement.

For a few more hours they just lounged around together, until there was a knock on the door.

"Your Highness." a tall man, towering even above Dex and GutsMan said as he peeked into the room, powerfully built, with smooth dark hair, a matching beard and a pair of blue eyes decorating his face with a big nose and chiseled jawline. He was clad in what looked like a gray formal suit lined with military grade bulletproof padding, with matching riding boots running halfway to his knee.

"Good of you to join us, old friend." the Queen said with a smile. "I'm afraid we're out of tea until the next batch comes in, but I spy some cookies still left."

"Please, do not tempt me..." the burly man said with a longing look in his eyes.

"Come, Galahad, live a little." Sean said, lifting a plate that still had a small stack of delicious-looking round, thick golden bits of goodness on it.

"Well..." the towering man said hesitantly. "I suppose you-"

He was interrupted by two voices arguing outside, a man and a woman by the sound of it. Intrigued, Raito decided to take a peek.

Outside he found Sage, still clad in his armor, along with Laika. To his surprise, he also spotted Kalinka and Alyona, both clad in elegant black dresses with matching flat shoes. Alyona actually cut a striking figure, though her well-toned arms looked a little intimidating now that he got to see them exposed.

There were three other people there, however, that he did not recognize. Sage, it seemed, was in the process of arguing with one of the strangers, a girl of indeterminate age, clad in a uniform styled like Colbor's, but with a skirt instead of trousers. Her hair was golden, almost glowing, running smoothly until her shoulders. He couldn't see her eyes, however, as they were covered in goggles identical to Colbor's.

"I'm telling you." the woman said. "Voltes is the superior machine."

"And I'm telling you that you have no taste, Jaune." Sage retorted. "Combattler has the advantage."

Then both of them turned to Colbor and the other woman, who had crimson hair tied in a braid around her neck and an identical pair of goggles, though she was wearing them on her forehead, showing her soft face and crimson eyes.

"Don't look at me." the redhead said. "I'm staying out of fanboy arguments."

Then both of them fixated exclusively on Colbor.

"Damnit Rouge..." Colbor grumbled.

"Well?" Jaune asked.

"I cannot be the only one here with a shred of good taste." Sage said. "Tell us. Combattler or Voltes?"

Colbor simply shrugged.

"I was… always partial to Mazinger Zero."

"Not even Daimos..." Sage said, clearly disappointed. "You philistine..."

"What?" Colbor retorted, shrugging again. "VNC, remember? I still don't know who that really was, but that Navi disguised as Mazinger Zero was absolutely awesome during the Sigma Uprising."

"Well..." Sage conceded. "You're not wrong. But he lost some points for breaking character by pulling out that Z-Saber."

"Wait, how do you know that was a Z-Saber?" Colbor asked. "What even is a Z-Saber?"

"Never mind that." Sage retorted. "This is not the time to be having this discussion."

"Please, do come in." Sean said, trying not to laugh as he stuck his head through the doorway as well.

"Incidentally..." Raito added as Kalinka and Alyona made themselves comfortable. "Wow."

It was clear to all those present that the young Ensign had inherited a significant portion of her mother's good looks. The dress, however, was unexpected.

"What?" Alyona asked, feeling a little awkward about having so many eyes fixated on her. "You didn't expect me to come in here looking like a grease monkey, did you?"


	7. Entangled Fates

Chapter 7 – Entangled Fates

The next day, at the crack of dawn…

"So, how was your audience with the Queen?" Lan asked as his face came into view on a large screen in the royal conference room, smiling openly.

"Enlightening." Maito said, more than a little amused about all the things he had seen and heard the previous day.

"Good to know. For now though, we need you to come back to the lab so we can make some adjustments to your machines."

"How are things back home?" Raito asked, still fighting off the last remaining symptoms of food coma.

"A few minor skirmishes here and there, but the local forces have been able to handle them." Hub said.

"Tell me something." Maito intervened. "Have you seen any of those weird ugly machines over there? Or the black one Atreus told us about?"

"Definitely some of the ugly ones." Lan said with a nod. "A couple more cities came under attack in the last few days and they showed up and drove off the aliens. It looks like they're sporting some mean new punching arms to boot. No sign of the black one over here yet though."

"Yes, we've already seen them giving the aliens a pounding with the new arm parts." Raito said with a nod. "I'm not sure if the X-1 got a good scan of those, but I wouldn't mind giving them a try myself."

"Just how big is that group though?" Chisao wondered. "So far, that makes three continents they've shown up in."

"They may be ugly as sin, but those machines must have taken large sums to develop and produce." Aya pondered.

"Which would suggest that they have considerable backing." Aya elaborated further. "Possibly from a large multinational conglomerate or… more than a few nations."

Her choice of words made Sean smile ever so slightly and cast a furtive glance at his wife, who silently mouthed two words in response.

"Too soon."

"And then there's that Gespenst machine." Atreus added, having failed to notice the silent exchange. "It's definitely a few notches above the others, but maybe it's special in some other way? Other than performance, I mean. There has to be a reason why they're not fielding more of it."

"A reasonable assumption." NumberMan intervened. "I've been going over the limited footage we got of all of them with the laboratory staff. There are definitely some exotic materials and technologies in its construction. The other ones look like they may have been put together using advanced materials… but still conventional ones for the most part."

"For the most part?" Maria echoed.

"There are materials there that I have never seen before." NumberMan explained. "While they could likely be created with current technology, I cannot find any references to them online, in the network at large or in academic databases."

"More mysteries to ponder then." Aya said. "For now though, I think we will all be more than happy to enjoy some quiet time with the family."

"_And spend some time in hot water and take care of my hair..."_ she thought, dreading the thought of what wearing a helmet for extended periods might do to her coif._ "But focus! D__uty c__omes before this__!" _

"Come on guys." Dex chimed in. "Let's go home. The local forces can handle the rest here."

"As for us, we need to stop by our home too." Amelia said. "Now that there aren't any immediate fires to put out, we need to get our own checkups done… and get some answers."

"We'll catch up with you all later." Atreus said, before bowing to the Queen. "My thanks for the hospitality."

"Silly boy." Pride replied with a smile. "You're all more than welcome here anytime."

"Well then..." Atreus added as he turned to Laika. "My thanks to you too, Major-General."

"I make the Queen's words my own." Laika retorted before vigorously shaking his hand with a firm grip. "Now go on, don't keep your mother waiting."

"And don't forget to call when you arrive!" Raito chimed in.

"Yeah." Maito added. "Depending on how things go at home, we may pay you a visit later."

The siblings nodded and prepared to head outside. Raito and Maito decided to see them off and followed closely. Outside, they found Alexander leaning against one of the walls, clearly waiting for the others.

"I thought I'd see you all off personally." the prince said.

"That's good." Atreus said. "I do have some questions about that machine of yours."

"I figured you would." Alexander said. "I felt it too… that resonance, or whatever it was."

"Was this something your parents built, or something they found somewhere?" Amelia asked.

"From what I hear, a little bit of each." Alexander said. "They found some sort of core in a dormant state and it took that form when they approached it."

"Where?" Amelia asked.

"They were on a sailing trip through the sea off the eastern shores." Alexander recalled. "Something weird happened to the currents and the winds and they were dragged off course. After the turbulence stopped, they spotted something glowing under the waters and called for a diving team to investigate it."

The prince took a deep breath.

"The divers found the submerged remains of an island. I think… whatever that place really was, it may have been the basis for some of those tales of a land off our coast shrouded in mists."

"Avalon?" Amelia realized. "Your parents actually found the real thing?"

"Who knows?" Alexander replied with a shrug. "Underwater archaeology is a pain and the survey work was interrupted by the invasion. All I know is that there is a great power sleeping inside… and that its form seems to be influenced by the wielder's will to an extent."

"Please tell me yours doesn't talk..." Atreus said, earning a chuckle from Raito.

"Thankfully not." Alexander said with a smile. "But where did you find yours?"

"I still don't know." Atreus said. "I think our parents were going to explain things to us before the invasion hit. That's one of the reasons why we need to go back. To get some answers."

"Well then, keep us posted." Alexander said. "I'm going to do see what I can dig up from our side."

"I don't suppose you'll be tagging along with us?" Raito asked.

"Old friends reunited in dire times." Maito mused. "Fighting together for the future. That stuff practically writes itself."

"It's definitely in the cards." the prince said. "But not just yet. I have to finish tending to some matters here. Making sure the homeland is looked after and all that."

"Oh. Before I forget." Amelia intervened, turning to her brother. "After that stunt back on the island, Grandma prepared some upgrades for our watches to keep the transmissions from getting jammed again. Be sure to install them before we get in another fight. All the tools you need should be packed in the box with them."

"Jammed?" Alexander asked with a frown.

"That thing has a will of its own." Atreus said in an annoyed tone. "Two wills to be precise, bickering half the time. One of them thought it would be a riot to cut me off from home until I ran into the others."

"Free from distractions, my foot." Amelia added with a scowl. "Those two are up to something and I don't appreciate them trying to manipulate my brother."

"We'll just have to keep an eye on them..." Atreus said with a sigh. "But right now, like it or not, we need that thing's power in order to protect the world."

Minutes later, the Apotheosis and the Hoplon flew off, heading southwest, followed by the Great Harpuia and the Pantheon trio.

"It was good to see you again too." the Queen said, gracing the eccentric Major-General and his family with one of her smiles.

"It has been far too long." Laika said with a polite nod.

Kalinka and Alyona said their farewells too, but as they began to make their way outside a few moments later, Kalinka reached into her handbag.

"You go on ahead." she said. "I have to make a call."

She looked for a quiet section of the hallway and pulled out a black smartphone, scrolling through the contacts until she came to an entry simply labeled "Tupoy Brat".

"Oh. It's you." a harsh male voice answered after a few seconds.

"Is that any way to speak?!" she scolded. "You really are a mudak sometimes."

"You know I don't speak that gobbledygook." the man retorted. "What do you want?"

"You do know that Papa's birthday is coming around, right?"

The man on the other side groaned audibly.

"This again… Look, you know what I think about this kind of..."

"Well, it's about time you started acting your age, don't you think?" she retorted.

Silence.

"I know you can hear me." she insisted with a scowl. "Come on, would it really kill you to drop the act? Every year it's the same thing. Do I have to track you down and drag you there myself?"

"I would like to see you try." the man grumbled. "But this job is too important. I don't have time to go buy depth charges to deal with your Souka Blyat or whatever it's called."

"You really are a piece of work, you know that?" Kalinka remarked with a smirk. "But I know how to fix your attitude."

She then lowered her voice.

"Lyublyu tebya, tupoy brat." she said, her surprisingly soft tone contrasting with the smug look on her face.

"Gah! Low blow!" the man protested, caught off guard… and sounding even a little uncomfortable.

"So you do speak the so-called gobbledygook." she remarked, clearly enjoying his reaction.

The man let out a loud sigh.

"Fine. You got me." he grumbled. "What do you want, a medal?"

"I'll settle for you showing up without looking like you need a laxative."

"Then how about you stop talking so much shit?" the man grumbled. "And I thought I had anger issues."

"I'll think about it." Kalinka said with a snort. "If you start acting like an adult. At least give him a call. It doesn't take that long."

"Why do I put up with you anyway?" the man scoffed.

"Because you're not as much of a jerk as you want me to believe?"

"Lies and slander!" the man retorted, trying and failing to sound offended. "I've wasted enough time on this nonsense. The work won't take care of itself."

He then lowered his voice.

"Watch yourself out there." he added, considerably softer.

"You too." she retorted before ending the call.

"That brother of yours really is an idiot." Laika remarked as he walked by, having lingered a little longer to discuss a thing or two with Sean.

"One of these days I'm going to end up piledriving him..." she said, cracking her knuckles in a rather unladylike manner.

"I think your father let you watch too many of Zangief's fights when you were a little girl."

"At least he was a real wrestler, not one of those divas in spandex." Kalinka retorted with a scoff. "Pity he's retired."

"He used to wrestle bears in the middle of Siberia wearing just a thong." Laika countered, shaking his head. "For fun! I got the full commando training regimen in that region and even I think that was stupid."

* * *

A moment later, a vast distance away…

"I really don't know why I gave her this number..." a harsh male voice grumbled.

"I think you do." a woman remarked, her perfectly controlled tone betraying the slightest bit of amusement.

"Am I a joke to you… Director?" he asked, his tone suddenly perfectly calm and composed.

"Only when you make an ass of yourself."

The woman then sighed.

"Your other duties can wait. Take as long as you need and use whatever travel funds you require. Cherish what you have."

"You know, Director..." the man said, his composed tone cracking slightly. "Maybe this whole thing is affecting you more than you thought."

"Don't worry about it." the woman said, despite sounding clearly downcast. "It'll pass soon enough."

"Are you sure you will not reconsider?"

"I cannot. Not for now."

She then paused for a moment.

"Your concern is noted and appreciated, however… if a little unexpected." she added.

"I surprise myself sometimes." the man grumbled.

* * *

Back in Albion...

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Sean asked once he finally found himself alone with Pride again.

"They have enough to worry about right now." she said. "For the time being, it's enough that they know they're not fighting alone."

"On another note… you know our little Prince Charming isn't going to stay put for long, right?" Sean added, grinning in amusement at the nickname that Aya had come up with once they had become properly acquainted. "It's only a matter of time until he wants to join his friends."

"More work for Galahad and Scherazade." the Queen said with a fond smile. "But they expect it… and have trained him well enough to stay safe without them around."

* * *

Having said their farewells to the royal family and the Neo Atlantean siblings, the Robot Masters got back on their machines and started making their way back to the submarine carrier. After parking the robots in the hangar, showering and changing into fresh clothes, most of them scattered throughout the vessel.

Aya returned to the upper deck to get some fresh air, while Raito and Maito, in typical fashion, decided to get some snacks. The Guts brothers made their way to the gym for a round of sparring, while Maria dragged her brother to one of the break rooms.

"So, it looks like someone is in a good mood." Maria remarked with a smile as she sat down on a couch next to him.

"Well, somehow I'm managing to make myself useful around here." Shingo said, looking proud of himself.

"We really need to do something about that inferiority complex of yours." Maria said before hugging him.

"It's not an inferiority complex." he retorted, before patting her head. "It's fact. I don't have anything remarkable to bring to the table, so I just have to put in some extra effort."

"That's not true, and you know it." she countered. "I don't know where you get those notions."

She then realized something and gave him a strange look.

"Is that why you're always snapping at Aya? Because you disapprove of the way she uses her gifts?"

"That has nothing to do with it." he hissed, seemingly annoyed by the mere mention the name.

"Then what's going on?" she asked with visible concern. "I know it's mutual by this point. You're both good, kind people. I don't understand why you set each other off all the time."

"Look Sis. I know you mean well, and she's your friend, but… some people just don't get along."

"You two weren't always like this." Maria pointed out. "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it." he said with a pained expression on his face. "Please Sis."

For a moment, what Maria saw in his expression was not the usual anger or annoyance whenever Aya was involved, but rather sadness.

"Fine." she conceded, noticing his discomfort and feeling guilty about causing it.

"_I'll get to the bottom of this, one way or another."_ she thought.

Then she reached for his glasses and took them off.

"But there's definitely something wrong with your eyesight if you can't see yourself for what you are." she said, turning them over in her hand. "We'll have to do something about that."

Before he could say anything else, she continued.

"How many people your age would drop everything to go risk their lives protecting the world?"

"I couldn't just sit at home while you're out here." he pointed out.

"You didn't have to talk the Professors into letting you pilot one of the machines though." she countered.

"If you're fighting, I'm fighting." he said resolutely "This is not negotiable. In fact, I think it's about time I had a word with our coaches."

* * *

Meanwhile, in another section of the submarine carrier…

After sating their appetite, the nearly identical cousins were sitting in the mess hall, comparing notes on their recent experiences with Lan and Hub. Even without a Navi, Raito made it a point of pride to carry and use a PET in homage to his family history, and through that PET they were currently on a three way call between the submarine, the laboratory and the Hikari residence.

"Come to think of it." Maito realized as an increasingly familiar lab assistant came into view on the video feed from the lab. "Ms. Yumi, right?"

"Yes..." the young woman said with an annoyed look on her face as she stepped closer to the camera. "And before you ask, no, I don't know anyone with spiked sideburns or named Kabuto."

Lan snorted loudly at her retort, but managed not to burst out laughing somehow.

"That's… not what I was going to ask, actually." Maito said. "I was just wondering how you ended up working for my father and uncle at your age."

"Oh." she said, her expression quickly softening. "Sorry about that. It just gets a bit repetitive."

"You're preaching to the choir, Ms." Maito replied, giving her a sympathetic smile. "If I got a zenny every time someone hears my name and asks me if I like trains, I'd have enough to buy my own Metroline track."

"I had my reasons." Hub chimed in with a sheepish grin, taking part in the call from his living room couch.

"Such as?" Raito asked, genuinely curious.

"I guess I hoped that giving my little boy a hero's name would set him on the right track." Hub said, not bothering to hide his pride. "So far, it looks like it worked."

"We definitely have big shoes to fill." Maito said, feeling a little self-conscious.

"Most of the stuff we ended up getting involved in was just dropped on our laps." Lan pointed out. "We didn't actively seek anything out for the most part. We just reacted and tried to protect the people around us. You, on the other hand, stepped up to the plate. You could have just stayed home and let someone else handle this."

"After all the hard work you guys put into this?" Maito retorted, shaking his head. "Not an option. I'm stronger and faster than people three times my size, and now I have the tools to make a difference. There's no way I'd sit this out and you know it."

"Well, if it ever becomes too much to handle, you know you can talk to us." Roll chimed in. "Both of you."

"Don't worry." Maito said with a smile. "No angst here. I'm happy for this opportunity."

"And together, we're invincible!" Raito added.

"_N__either of you is lacking in bravery." _Lan thought with a fond smile. _"I wish Zero was still around to meet you."_

The crimson clad Navi's disappearance in a burst of darkness during the last moments of the Sigma Uprising along with Cadmus' own Navi, Gallant, the young synthetic girl Alouette and the adventurous Navi Peach had been a most traumatic event, especially for the Imperative and the Affirmative.

It had always felt strange to Lan, then, how about a year after the incident they had never touched the subject again, as if they had made some sort of bizarre silence pact as a way of overcoming their loss. Atreus and Amelia's birth might have given them the additional push to move forward, but it left a bad taste in Lan's mouth to see the fallen seemingly so quickly forgotten.

A few minutes later, after ending the call, Lan got back to work, reviewing battle footage from the Robot Masters' cameras. As the footage of the Apotheosis extending its blade eventually made it to the screen, Lan noticed something and paused it.

"_Now where have I seen that before?" _he thought, quirking an eyebrow. _"And that stance…"_

* * *

Around the same time, over the Atlantic...

"More of those pests." Sage groaned in annoyance as a pack of alien spherical drones came into view.

"Look on the bright side." Colbor chimed in. "Perfect time for target practice."

"Looks like we'll get to do something on this trip after all." Rouge added.

"You mean other than trying to taste some of the cookies before Sir Cookie Monster blitzed through them all?" Jaune scoffed.

"Ladies… focus, please." Colbor scolded.

The nimble Pantheon units made short work of the drones with their rapid fire Busters, while Sage made sure there weren't any other hostile units in the area. Not wanting to simply stand around watching, the siblings finished off the last handful and in less than fifteen minutes the group resumed the journey back home… with the tip of the Hoplon's spear sporting an impaled drone, inactive but mostly intact.

"Are you going to carry that thing around like that?" Rouge asked.

"Another thing for them to dissect back home." Amelia said with a shrug.

"Incidentally..." Atreus remarked, glancing around suspiciously. "Those two have been awfully quiet."

"These feeble toys are no threat to us." the Father grumbled, sounding almost like an old man who had just had his nap interrupted. "You should be more worried about the actual threats."

"Does this have anything to do with the Leonarch?" Atreus asked with a frown.

"Perhaps..." the Father mused. "Or perhaps it has more to do with how soft you are, boy. You hesitate too much."

"Well, maybe if you actually trusted him instead of trying to torment him like that..." the Son cut in. "You know very well that you cannot force an awakening. You know what happened last time."

"Force… an awakening?" Atreus asked.

"Never you mind." the Father grumbled. "Just remember one thing. If you show any hesitation when dealing with that filth, you will also inevitably endanger those children you have surrounded yourself with. Are you prepared for that?"

"I don't know what you're after." Atreus retorted. "You haven't even had the courtesy of giving your name. What I do know is that your attitude is not doing you any favors right now… and I'm not going to start killing at the drop of a hat."

"Before all is said and done, boy..." the Father said rather somberly. "You will grow to understand just how feeble and childish your delusions are. Mark my words."

* * *

About an hour later, in a hidden underground base in Western Europe...

"And this is how it goes, Commander." Major Yeager said as he stood in a dimly lit office, speaking to a tall figure, sitting behind a metal desk in the typical green sweater and khaki trousers ensemble that most of the personnel were wearing.

"Your report mentioned that this was being carried by some sort of drone?" the other man asked.

"Yes..." the Major confirmed with a nod. "Clipped by a stray burst of fire in the Urals as it was heading east. The MEC squad that was operating in the area found the wreckage. I can make an educated guess as to where exactly it was going."

The Commander uttered a single word.

"Hikari."

"Yes. It would seem that these Robot Masters have access to quite a few exotic materials… which would explain a thing or two about their performance."

"Indeed." the Commander said with a sigh. "This was the one single hurdle I was never able to overcome in all the iterations. Without this one element, a large portion of the technology I brought over will simply not function."

In his right hand, the man held a small bead made of some strange coppery metal that glittered like fire.

"But this… this could provide the replacement we need."

"I did warn you before, Commander." the Major pointed out. "Your way of thinking is too rigid. Someone as experienced as you should know better. These things are won by adapting."

"Yes..." the Commander conceded. "That was how it was in the beginning, when all we had was conventional ballistic weaponry, some basic uniforms and a couple of planes. It was an uphill struggle, but we adapted… and succeeded. This, however, is a new kind of battlefield… or rather, a new kind of war. I must keep revising my methods."

"I must admit that I am impressed by your earlier exploits." the Major said. "Especially when your recruits were so..."

"You don't need to hold back with me, Gilliam." the Commander said with a scoff as he poured himself a glass of some amber colored drink from a bulky bottle. "Yes, they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. It was… rather awkward. And then they'd turn around and land a single ludicrously perfect shot, sometimes through two or three walls, and take down a high value target before going back to shooting like drunks."

Then the Commander's tone turned somewhat darker and his shoulders slumped.

"They were clumsy, panicky and utterly reckless… but they were still my responsibility. At least the ones who survived became stronger for it."

"And yet… you continued. How many times does this make it now?"

"Too many." the Commander said. "But this is the path I have chosen and I must see it through. The Long War continues until the final victory."

He then raised the glass in a silent toast.

"Just how long have you been doing this?" the Major asked.

"I don't even know anymore."

The Commander downed the glass, put it back on the desk and stood up.

"In all the places I could have ended up..." the Major pondered. "Perhaps it was destiny. From my experience, true coincidences are extremely rare."

The Commander nodded.

"And here we are… Exceedingly close, extremely distant."

Then he glanced at the Major again.

"The path is long, its end uncertain…" he said, for a moment sounding exhausted. "But with your help, maybe there will be an actual conclusion."

"Do you need a moment, Commander?" the Major asked, giving him a concerned look.

"I'm fine. And now… it's time to reach out and make some calls. See how much of another old friend has rubbed off on me."

"You mean..."

"I suppose it was only a matter of time until our paths crossed again." the Commander mused. "I know them. They were never going to stay out of this."

"Is that admiration I hear in your tone, my friend?" the Major asked.

"I am… impressed at how those two were able to accomplish so much without ever taking a single life."

Then the Commander's eyes lit up with a strange blue light.

"But there are things even they cannot do. Not on their own."

* * *

A short time later…

Lan's PET rang, signaling an incoming phone call. As he checked the screen, he saw that the called identification was hidden. Intrigued, he answered.

"Hello, Commander..." a man's voice said on the phone.

Lan's eyes widened. There was something hauntingly familiar about the voice. Unfortunately, for some reason he also couldn't remember where he'd heard it before no matter how hard he tried.

"Who is this?" Lan asked, surprised to be addressed that way again so long after the Day of Sigma and the Volunteer Navi Corps, taunted by the nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

"You will know in due time, Commander. As for the purpose of this call… I represent an organization that also fights to oppose the alien invaders. While your team has made considerable progress in dealing with this incursion, I do believe we would be able to achieve better results if we were to cooperate with one another."

"Who are you with? Prometheus?"

"Not even close." the voice retorted with a hint of annoyance. "I am aware that they have already approached you, though their intent eludes me. Regardless, they are dangerous and should not be taken lightly. What I do know is that the organization I represent has access to considerable resources and expertise that would be of use to you."

"While I appreciate the offer, what exactly would you be getting out of it?" Lan asked.

Though he indeed appreciated the thought of others chipping in to help, he had spent enough time dealing with people of power and influence to know that most of them had their own agendas. He was an eternal optimist, but he was no fool.

"We still cannot be everywhere at the same time… and your methods have their merits. In fact, from what we have seen so far, it seems that you have already overcome several technological limitations. In fact, the performance of your creations could almost be considered… otherworldly."

"_Does he know about the orichalcum?" _Lan thought, tensing up. _"The missing shipment?"_

"Furthermore..." the figure added. "We may be able to assist with the issue of your team's mobility. We also have certain agreements in place that would make it easier to repair your team's machines wherever they end up instead of needing to ship them back every time."

"A tempting offer..." Lan remarked. "But you still haven't answered a very basic question. Who exactly are you?"

"That is something we will need to discuss at length later. I can say, however, that I have personally worked with you in the past… and have a great deal of respect for your resourcefulness and character."

"It's always nice to meet a fan, but..." Lan said cautiously. "I can't possibly decide something like this on the spot, or on my own, especially before meeting in person to see who exactly we are dealing with."

"I would not have expected you to." the voice replied flatly. "Take as long as you need, but to not delay too much. Your actions will have a considerable influence on the future of this world. I urge you to keep that in mind as you move forward."

"You've got your speech well rehearsed, I'll give you that." Lan said with a smirk. "But so how do I get back to you once I've consulted my colleagues?"

"I will be sending you a file along with instructions by e-mail in a few moments. Once you have reached a decision, open it. I will send you the decryption code separately in a few moments."

"I see..." Lan said, a little taken aback by the whole cloak and dagger act. "We will be in touch."

"I know. And remember, we will be watching." the voice said before the call ended.

A few seconds later, Lan's PET beeped and he saw an e-mail notification, followed by a text message on the screen sent via the phone line.

"111999132015"

"How did they even get this number?" Lan wondered out loud.

With a frown, he made a call of his own, and seconds later a familiar face appeared on the screen in front of him, looking up from a table covered in parts while two other monitors displaying strange schematics appeared on the video feed next to her.

"Ciel… I think we have a problem."

"What's wrong?" she asked, worried by the look on his face.

"Before I say anything else, how secure is this connection?" Lan asked. "I can see some of your work from here."

"Let's just say that before this mess started, we upgraded our technology with some help from… a very talented someone."

"You mean the same someone who helped us with the Titanium X?" Lan asked with a knowing grin. "Anyway… I think you can stop looking for that missing drone you sent. We're probably not getting it back."

"What do you mean?"

"I just got a very strange call from an unidentified caller. I don't even know how they got this number or my private e-mail address."

"Do you think this has something to do with that visitor you had earlier?" Ciel asked with a frown. "Hades, was it?"

"I'm not sure." Lan said, scratching his chin. "I don't think this person was from Prometheus. In fact, he didn't seem to like them very much. Either way, it's pretty clear they've been watching my work and the kids' activities."

"So what did they want?"

"Apparently the same thing the guy from the Prometheus Group wanted. Some kind of collaboration. The timing makes me a bit suspicious though. That other guy Hades had pictures of the Apotheosis and those unidentified machines we've been seeing all over the place. This one… didn't explicitly refer to it, but I think he may know what happened to the orichalcum samples you tried to send."

"Good thing it was only a tiny portion then." Ciel pondered. "Just enough to see if the drone could make the trip in one piece."

"Incidentally, what about those modules you were preparing for us?"

"Miniaturizing the Magnetic Levitation Engines was a challenge, but we managed." Ciel explained, looking proud of her work. "The Pantheon have already field tested them extensively on their trip to Albion. We're still sifting through the data, but so far it looks good. Now we just need to make adjustments to compensate for your machines' additional weight and size."

"I guess for now I'll go with the temporary plan then." Lan said, before scowling. "If I can get that lawyer off my back for five minutes, that is."

"Lawyer?" Ciel asked, a little confused.

"One of Yai's retainers." Lan grumbled. "To keep my fanboy moments from earning us a copyright lawsuit or something like that. Honestly, I think she's just trolling me."

"That does sound like something she would do." Ciel noted with a soft laugh.

She then glanced at something off screen and sighed.

"There's something else I have to tend to. We'll talk again soon."

"Take care." Lan said with a smile.

* * *

Later that day, in a high rise area full of modern skyscrapers, in a city somewhere in the western hemisphere…

Struck by some sort of missile, the building shook. Apparently, the blast had hit one of the main pillars, since half the ceiling started buckling down in a cloud of dust, which also made it extremely difficult to see. All the lights flickered and died, suggesting that some of the power cables had been severed as well.

"Curses…!" a woman hissed, covering her face with the sleeve of her black business dress.

She scrambled to the nearest emergency exit as quickly as she could, but then another blast shook the building once again, knocking her off her feet.

A broken chunk of wall, easily twice her size, came tumbling down towards her and she hastily tried to roll out of the way. It was then that someone else, seemingly out of nowhere, intercepted the plummeting object with a single white gloved hand and then punched it away with another. She gasped in shock, both at the danger she had narrowly avoided and the display of superhuman strength.

"Go." the figure, clearly a man, said with its back still turned to her, in a commanding voice that she was somehow able to hear perfectly despite the cacophony of noises surrounding her.

Regaining her composure, she did exactly that, sprinting to the nearest exit without looking back. As she finally made it outside and saw the light of day, hurried steps echoed, heading in her direction.

"Director!" a man in an expensive looking suit cried out, towering over her petite frame. "Are you all right?"

"I am unharmed." the woman replied evenly, wiping the dust from the shoulders of her coat. "But it appears that this location is not as secure as we had estimated."

Once again the embodiment of self-control, she reached into her coat's pocket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, which she quickly placed on her face. A metallic pin on her lapel, shaped like a golden hand grasping a crimson flame, briefly shone under the sun.

"We should head back to HQ." the man said. "Another battle broke out while you were away. It is far too dangerous out here."

"Before we go…" the woman said, glancing around suspiciously. "Did you see anyone else leave the building?"

"Random civilians, by the look of it." the man informed. "It seems that all of them made it out."

"Good. Did you see anyone… out of the ordinary?"

"What do you mean, Director?"

"Ah, never mind." the woman said with a scowl. "Let us return."

From the roof of a nearby building, someone watched her intently from underneath a white hood, its face obscured by an unnatural shadow.

"What is she doing here?" the figure muttered to itself in disbelief as she stepped onto the back seat of what looked like a bulletproof black limousine. "No, it… can't be her..."

And then, with the rustling of a long white coat, the figure was gone.

* * *

The next morning, in Neo Atlantis...

A mixture of emotions coursed through the Imperative's heart, and he knew that on the other side of the world the twins shared his hopes, fears and anxiety.

Resting his gaze upon the waves crashing against the shore in the distance set him at ease, and he was not alone in this sentiment. The balcony had become a favorite spot of his old partner as well since they had first been made aware of their heritage as the only children of the Founders.

"What a blessed life I lead..." the Imperative mused, standing at a balcony in the Sanctum, watching the dawn of a new day.

Despite the tribulations of his earlier years, he had found himself surrounded by the things he'd craved the most. A place in the world, belonging… and eventually a family. For them, he would pour his heart and soul into his work once again.

"And just imagine what tomorrow will bring." the Affirmative chimed in, standing next to him.

First a shy genius, then a confident woman, she too had changed over the years, having become more comfortable outside the lab but never losing the endless thirst for knowledge. The steel underneath the soft exterior, however, was still there, and soon enough the invaders would know why she had taken to wearing the effigy of a swan as her personal insignia. But that would have to wait a while longer.

Seized by a sudden impulse, he wrapped an arm around her and, with his free hand, pointed straight up at the sky.

"For tomorrow!" he proclaimed in a sudden bout of extravagance.

"For tomorrow!" she echoed, mimicking his gesture with an amused chuckle.

The light of dawn them at an odd angle and, for a moment, he was casting two shadows.

No further words were needed between them. They stood there for a while, soaking in the warmth, until, seized by an impulse, he gently lifted her off her feet and drank deeply from her lips.

"Am I interrupting?" Amelia's teasing voice suddenly boomed out through the outer speakers on her machine as the Hoplon flew overhead.

"Looks like our little bird is getting comfortable with her wings." Ciel remarked with a smile.

The Hoplon descended until it was standing directly in front of the balcony, its face looking at the two.

"I'm still not completely sold on this..." Amelia admitted. "But if I'm doing this, I might as well get good at it. I can't let that brother of mine run off on his own."

"So where are you off to now?" Ciel asked.

"Off to practice with Auntie." she said. "I don't care for violence and may never get as good with a spear as her, but I'm going to pull my weight in this. This little bird has talons!"

And with that, she took off, with her machine looking almost like a great metal angel as it glistened in the sun.

"I think the Little Prince isn't the only one feeling at home in the skies." Ciel mused with a smile.

"To be fair..." Cadmus remarked. "It's not surprising considering those songs they've been listening to since they were born."

"Especially that one in particular..." she said, turning her gaze to the sky. "Sogno di Volare… Beautiful. But – and I may be biased here – those two are even more beautiful to me."

"So… no more second guessing their involvement?" a familiar voice whispered in the Imperative's ear.

"I suppose it was inevitable." Cadmus muttered under his breath, closing his eyes. "No point in fighting it… so I guess we'll just have to go all in."

"That said… they're not in this alone." the voice whispered. "And again, they're stronger than you think."

"Just in case, we-" the Imperative tried to mutter under his breath before he felt an abrupt light poke on his ribs, upon which he opened his eyes to see Ciel with a finger outstretched and a mischievous smile on her face.

"You're doing it again..." she whispered playfully.

No one else was standing in the balcony with them.


	8. What the Heart Craves

Chapter 8 – What the Heart Craves

Taking advantage of the temporary pocket of tranquility, the Hikari twins convened with Cadmus, Ciel and Lune through their dedicated communications line.

"Three battles with little to no repairs between them." Cadmus remarked as he sat on the large metal chair left by his predecessors. "Impressive."

"We can't take all the credit for this, but they did meet expectations… and then some." Lan said with a satisfied smile, sitting at the desk in his office.

"That last fight though..." Hub mused with a frown, standing next to him. "Those armored units are trouble. It's a good thing they got overconfident and underestimated our boys and girls, but I doubt they'll keep making that mistake."

"NumberMan is still going through the data, but it's safe to assume that this is just the beginning." Hub pondered. "We're going to have to find a way of dealing with these new units… without overheating our machines."

"On another note..." Lan added, turning his attention to the Imperative and the Affirmative with a furrowed brow. "Where did your boy learn to use a sword like that?"

Cadmus and Ciel exchanged nervous glances, which did not escape Lan's notice. After a brief moment, Cadmus looked directly at the camera.

"I guess you could say… I picked up a thing or two from an old friend." he said with a sigh. "But what does that have to do with anything? He learned the rest on his own after grasping the basics."

A familiar voice chuckled from behind him, apparently unheard by the others.

"I wonder how long it'll take them to figure this out." the voice whispered in his ear with mischievous amusement.

Cadmus sighed, but did not elaborate further or reply to the voice.

"There's something about the way he moves in that machine that definitely feels familiar." Lan pondered.

"I'm more concerned about how he almost becomes a different person inside it." Cadmus remarked. "Yes, he learned how to use a sword, mostly as a way to teach himself discipline. He never sparred with anyone out of fear of hurting them… and now here he is, cutting down machines the size of buildings without blinking."

"_I'__m glad__ he's grown into such a __kind, __strong young man…"_ he thought, visibly uncomfortable. _"B__ut this __does not bode well__...__"_

Seeing his discomfort, Ciel tried to move the conversation along.

"Personally, I have some concerns about some of the children in your care too. Are they prepared to handle that kind of stress?"

"They're handling themselves very well so far, but should things ever get out of hand..." Lan said resolutely. "We'll step in and hit the brakes ourselves."

"I'm guessing this is one of the reasons why you went for a different approach?" Hub remarked, glancing at Ciel.

"A lot of members of the old Volunteer Navi Corps are still around." Ciel said with a nod. "Some of them lost family or friends in the Sigma Uprising or spent a lot of time trying to adjust to their new place in the world."

The simple truth was that with billions of Navis having been offered the opportunity to experience the material world with functional bodies, many had jumped at the opportunity, eager to interact with their human companions directly rather than through a screen.

Twenty years after the first experiments with Copy Bots, even before Project Unity, and the ensuing changes, the subjects of relationships between humans and Navis, the future of the human species and the progress of technology and society were still debated, but most of the world had accepted the new state of things. A few traditional holdouts were still recalcitrant and some Navis had elected to remain in the Cyberworld instead, but thankfully it seemed that the Imperative and Affirmative's old project had avoided creating a situation similar to that of another certain Earth whose existence had been revealed to them during the Sigma Uprising.

"The fact that a certain delusional fool ended up changing their lives may also have something to do with so many of them ending up here." Cadmus added, feeling some degree of embarrassment about the antics of his younger days.

"You got better." Ciel chimed in. "As I knew you would."

"I had to." he said with a shrug. "For your sake."

The Imperative's early life had not been easy. Looking back, even he sometimes struggled to believe how far he had come from the emotionally stunted, nearly robotic young man standing in line to turn in his admission papers at the university. In Lune, the last of the Founders, he had found a second mother. Through Ciel, he had discovered the ability to feel, along with a suffocating guilt and shame for said feelings due to the age gap, which the two had eventually been able to resolve with time and patience.

Along their path, they had bonded and been shaped by others as well. Zero and the Hikari twins in particular had left lasting impacts, but the twins' extended circle of friends had also broadened their horizons and provided them other important attachments. With all the strength derived from those bonds, he had spent several years both trying to adapt to his new duties and finish putting himself back together using a combination of counseling, therapy and various mental exercises. He still had his share of eccentricities but, the combination of all those efforts had left him far calmer, more focused and happier – though he had to admit that he was beginning to miss the strange dreams his mind would produce from the combination of stress and his overactive imagination back then.

Ciel herself had struggled to overcome her insecurities and the early years spent surrounded by insufferable young geniuses with too much intellect and too little sense of empathy. She had asked her mother to let her attend the university at an age where most children would be starting their fifth year simply because she could not stand the environment anymore and the events that had followed had changed her life forever. She had once feared that her near-obsessive drive to pursue knowledge would end up cutting her off from the world and denying her the chance at a normal life. While complete normality might forever be outside her grasp, she had eventually found an arrangement she could be happy with.

Lune loudly cleared her throat.

"Touching, but don't you think the boys have better things to do than watch you two act like newlyweds?" she teased with a grin.

"M-Mother!" Ciel stuttered.

In the past twenty years, Lune had definitely stepped up to her new role, acting as a mother to both of them, keeping their workaholic tendencies in check and providing her insights as she easily had the most life experience of the three. After making peace with the loss of the other Founders, all of them dear friends to her, she had become fiercely protective of the odd paid and then her grandchildren, sometimes managing to unnerve even the Guardians with her presence and strength of will.

"She does have a point." Cadmus conceded, turning his attention to the twins once again. "Back on topic. Yes, we didn't feel comfortable just recruiting a group of teenagers with attitude, so we went for a proper army instead."

He flashed a confident smile and elaborated further on his point.

"The members of the Pantheon Corps are limited in number but highly trained. Having Cyberworld Immortals at our side also means we can hopefully keep our casualties low by shunting them back from their synthetic bodies if the worst comes to pass. Only as a last resort though."

"That said, we do have plenty of eager and able organics in the Pantheon Corps too." Lune added. "To see so many stepping forward is enough to make an old woman proud of her country again."

She too had harbored her concerns for the future of Neo Atlantis without the Founders, but discovering the inept way in which Cadmus had been raised in her absence and the resulting damage had left her bitter and a holding a deep seated contempt for those responsible, and she had spent the ensuing years trying to make things right. Revealing the truth about those events had cast a tremendous weight off her chest and the love of her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren had lifted her spirits to the point of physically rejuvenating her to an extent.

"You're not that old." Cadmus countered, smiling fondly at the woman he had long grown to regard as a second mother. "And I hope you'll be staying with us for many years still."

"Now then..." Ciel added, turning her attention to the twins. "As much as we'd like to pretend otherwise, your Robot Masters aren't quite invincible just yet. I'm guessing you'll be needing some breathing room to get repairs and adjustments done."

"Unfortunately, yes." Hub confirmed with a nod.

"Don't worry boys." Lune added. "The Pantheon is ready to pick up the slack."

"Just don't let those four have too much fun." Lan remarked with a grin, having witnessed the first day of field testing for the Four Guardians' personal machines – in particular Fighter's penchant for getting carried away.

"I suppose if it comes to it, the Guts Machine can always step in." Ciel joked.

"Or Dex and Guts would just get fired up too and make things even more hectic." Lan said with a knowing smirk.

"Well, who had the bright idea of giving a trio of Mazinger fans a robot of their own?" Lune teased. "You asked for it."

"Considering there's three of them, I'm just glad they didn't talk me into building a Getter." Lan pointed out with a grin.

"The technology isn't quite there yet." Lune pointed out. "But after the parallel Earths and then the Apotheosis and the orichalcum… I must confess I'm a little scared."

"I'm also not sure what to think of the fact that Reinhardt has shifted the family business back to weapons production." Cadmus added. "He used to hate those things, but then he went and bought up VTX?"

"That reminds me." Lune remarked. "He did send invitations for the unveiling of that new model. What did he call it again? Grungust?"

"Actually..." Lan realized. "Shouldn't we ask him to take a look at the footage of those military machines? He probably has plenty of connections in the industry that could help us find out where the ugly ones and the Gespenst are coming from."

"On another note..." Hub added with a pensive look on his face. "There are other things we need to consider on the medium term. The Morskoy Lev is an impressive machine, but it can only move on water and there's a limit to how fast something that big can move without tearing itself apart."

"It's frustrating to be just running around putting out fires too." Lan added. "We need a strategy beyond that."

"Those people who contacted you..." Ciel remarked. "Have they said anything else yet, or are they still waiting for you to accept their offer?"

"All quiet." Lan said. "I still don't like being in the dark or feeling that someone is looking over our shoulders."

"Phantom is looking into this matter along with the rest of Department Thirteen." Ciel said, before a perplexed expression appeared on her face. "We've already made some inquiries with Pride, but… she told us not to worry about it."

"We'll just have to do what we can for now." Cadmus said. "We need to bide our time and wait for the ones pulling the strings on this invasion to reveal themselves."

"Not gonna lie..." Lan said. "I'm worried about the effect all this may have on the kids as the fighting drags on. "This downtime will be good for them, but things are going to get worse before they get better."

"And how are you holding out?" Cadmus asked.

"Well…" Lan said with a sheepish grin. "Mayl understands this is an emergency situation, but I think I need to stop pulling all nighters for the sake of both of us."

"You do get a one track mind sometimes." Hub pointed out.

"Yes..." Lan conceded. "But this is too big. I'm not ashamed to ask for help."

"Come home and get some rest." Hub said. "I'll take over for a while. Mayl and the two rascals need you."

"Are you sure you're not just trying to weasel out of babysitting?" Lan teased.

"They've never given me any trouble." Hub replied with a shrug. "Suzu and Rini are ridiculously adorable, just like their mothers. Hikaru looks like he's inherited Grandpa's smarts and is one of the sweetest boys I've ever seen. We'll see how Tadashi turns out in a few more years."

It was no secret that Hub had been thinking about a third child of his own, and his synthetic nature gave him some advantages when it came to planning certain details.

"I still can't believe Lan went ahead and had three..." Ciel remarked.

"He's a real monster sometimes, forcing his poor brother to deal with his mini-mes." Hub joked.

"Didn't you just say they've never given you any trouble?" Lan remarked.

"I guess your plan to drive me insane failed." Hub retorted with a grin.

"There's still time for a fourth or fifth..." Lan joked with a mischievous look on his face.

"You monster..." Hub hissed in mock outrage.

The twins then turned their attention to Ciel.

"What about you?" Lan asked.

"I'm not planning for any more, if that's what you mean." Ciel said.

"_Those two were quite the emotional rollercoaster already..." _she thought. _"A third? Good grief. My heart can only take so much..."_

"Anyway..." Ciel said, trying to steer the conversation back to its intended topic. "We'll get you some more orichalcum samples once we've figured out how to make sure they actually get there. We'll probably just end up asking Sage to drop them in later or something."

"The flight units though..." Cadmus added. "Those aren't going to be that easy to carry. Once they're ready, you should probably just bring your machines over in Laika's submarine."

"How much time do you still need?" Hub asked.

"It's difficult to say." Lune explained. "Each unit has to be calibrated specifically for the machine using it, otherwise you could end up with balance and stability issues. The Guts Machine is being particularly challenging."

"And knowing you, we'll also have to account for the added weight of any… surprise upgrades." Cadmus added with a smile.

"Spoiler alert." Lan said with a conspiratorial wink.

"Probably already picking names, if we know those two." a familiar voice whispered in the Imperative's ear, unheard by the others. Cadmus simply nodded in agreement.

"Well then, we'll leave you to it." Hub said. "Thanks for the help so far."

"Considering that we're the ones who got you into this mess, it's only fair that we put everything we have on the table." Cadmus noted.

"You know you couldn't keep us out of it even if you tried." Lan said with a smirk. "It's still scary how that weird Atlantean machine predicted this, even if those two couldn't give us a specific date and were evasive about some details."

"There are definitely a lot of weird things about that machine." Cadmus pondered. "I still don't know if trusting those two was the right choice after the stunts they've pulled, but..."

"The younger one isn't too bad." Lune said. "The rude old jackass is the real problem. Anyway, it's time for us to get back to work. Nice to speak to you again boys."

With that, she let out a sigh and stepped out of the chamber, followed by Ciel. On the other side, Hub left as well, leaving only Lan on one end and Cadmus on the other.

"Is something else on your mind, Lan?" Cadmus asked, seeing the look on his face.

"It just brings me back." Lan reminisced. "That room in the Sanctum, a worldwide crisis… and a mysterious organization."

Try as he might, he was still unable to recall some of the events between leaving the Sanctum during the Sigma Uprising and the final confrontation in Antarctica. Hub had helped him fill in some of the gaps, but there was still too much he did not understand.

"Are you all right?" Cadmus asked.

"I don't know." Lan admitted. "There's something about this whole covert outfit thing that feels very familiar. I also have a gut feeling that they're the ones popping up all over the place with those ugly military robots."

"Do you think they have anything to do with the ones from last time?" Cadmus asked. "The ones who helped set up the Cyberworld Gate and sent a squad to escort you?"

"Maybe." Lan pondered. "But why can't I remember? Hub's memory is just fine, even if he couldn't tell me that much."

"That's not the only weird thing." Cadmus said. "I did some digging in our logs and… well, you're not going to believe this."

"What?"

"Back then, those people picked up Sean's Cyberworld Gate directly from SciLab. He took it apart himself and they loaded it on an unmarked helicopter. Well, I know for a fact that they returned it later, but nobody knows how."

"That's weird."

"It gets better." Cadmus said. "I personally spoke with some of the people who joined the Volunteer Navi Corps and were there with you. It looks like Hub and Roll are the only ones who remember anything at all about that base you visited."

"What the hell?!" Lan hissed.

"Considering how many people were involved and how many of them were civilian volunteers, it's impossible that all of them could have been scared into silence." Cadmus pondered. "Something else is going on here."

Lan nodded. It simply did not make any sense to him at all.

"And finally…" Cadmus added. "Do you remember how the Guardians took you there? Well, the coordinates were sent to us in a data package… which deleted itself as soon as those four were out of there and took out the contents of the flight recorder with it."

"The plot thickens..." Lan remarked, scratching his chin.

"I also spoke with Magdalena Heim and a few of the other heads of international security before they retired." Cadmus recalled. "Either they didn't know anything or they didn't want to tell me."

"Someone went through a lot of trouble to hide their existence..." Lan mused. "Unfortunately a good portion of the people who joined us before we made the jump are..."

"Unavailable for comments, yes." Cadmus said. "And the others only joined you in Antarctica. Speaking of which… I do wonder where they've ended up. I get the feeling we haven't seen the last of our friends from the stars."

"And then there's the others..." Lan added, recalling the visitors from a parallel Earth and from even further afar.

Lan then frowned and looked directly at the older scientist's face.

"But tell me something. What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?" Cadmus asked.

"I know losing those four was a terrible blow to you and Ciel." Lan elaborated. "I don't know where Dr. Rose ended up or what happened to her, but losing Peach can't have been easy for her either. What I don't get is why you and Ciel… just stopped talking about Zero, Gallant and Alouette."

"It's… complicated." Cadmus said with an inscrutable expression.

"I already thought I'd lost my brother once." Lan pointed out. "I know how it feels. I also know that different people deal with loss in different ways. But sometimes… it almost feels like you're pretending they never existed."

Cadmus looked at his old friend with a frown, looking slightly hurt, and then sighed.

"I suppose… that's what it looks like. But no."

"What's going on then?" Lan asked, looking a little confused. "You know you can talk to me. Twenty years is a long time to keep things bottled up."

"I know… and I appreciate it." Cadmus said. "If you'll recall, Ciel and I bawled like babies on and off for weeks after that day. There are things I'm not prepared to discuss with you just yet… but trust me when I say they have not been forgotten."

"_I'm still struggling to comprehend some of t__he things that have happened b__ack__ then…__and since...__"_ the Imperative thought.

Cadmus took a deep breath and reached into a drawer underneath the desktop, from which he pulled out a twenty year old PET model with a distinct pink casing. Almost reverently, he held it with both hands in front of the camera for Lan to see. The younger scientist simply watched, recognizing it as the PET where Zero had once taken residence before receiving his own Copy Bot. The PET that had been reduced to a paperweight during a last ditch rescue attempt via Partial Synchro by a certain pair of inexperienced scientists.

"Never forgotten." he reiterated his expression still inscrutable. "The brother I never had. The children crafted by our hands and swallowed by the Void. As for Rose, I know she continued her botanical research elsewhere but… I haven't heard from her in a very long time. I hope she's all right in the middle of all this."

Once they finished the call, Cadmus stepped outside the chamber. He stepped into the elevator and made his way to a lower floor, where a small mechanical workshop was set up, finding Ciel in the middle of assembling a delicate circuit by hand.

"So..." she said as she heard his footsteps. "When are we going to sit the children down and tell them what we know about that thing?"

"Sooner, rather than later." he said with a nod. "But I don't have the heart to do it right now."

* * *

Meanwhile, at a hidden underground facility somewhere in Western Europe...

Through metal plated corridors lit by artificial lights, two men were walking side by side.

"What was that all about?" one of them asked.

He looked probably a year or two older than Atreus, with smooth red hair and dark hazel eyes framed by a still boyish face, clad in a bulky padded suit made of a bluish-gray substance. On the chest plate, a white object, resembling a meteor or comet, was painted by hand.

"You mean that weird energy earlier?" his colleague asked before shrugging. Probably more of the Commander's antics."

He seemed to be around the same age, though with a chiseled, almost ridiculously handsome face, golden hair and blue eyes, cutting a dashing figure in the strange outfit. A nearly identical marking, only red, adorned his chest plate.

"There's definitely something strange about the man..." the red-haired man added. "I've only seen him a couple of times, but he has this… presence."

"They say he's quite the accomplished soldier too, but nobody has seen him fight." his blond companion mused. "I wonder..."

"I suppose you don't end up leading this kind of outfit without some serious skills." the red-haired man added.

"He has the look of a man of secrets." the blond man said. "But he can keep them, as long as he gets us through this."

"What are you going to do when this damn war ends anyway?" the red-haired man asked.

"I have some ideas about that..."

"Oh?" the red-haired man asked. "Personally, I've always wanted to be an astronaut. Maybe this whole thing will give us the push to head back out there."

"Funny..." the blond man said with a smile. "I've thought about doing the same… though my darling says I'd make a good actor. She's even thought of a stage name for me and everything."

"A stage name?" the red-haired man asked with a chuckle. "This I have to hear."

As they kept walking and chatting, Major Yeager stepped out of a meeting room along their path. He brushed a strand of hair off his eyes and then, as he noticed the two, he paled as if he had seen a ghost.

"It can't be..." he muttered incredulously under his breath.

"Come to think of it…" the red-haired man pondered. "She's stationed here too, right?"

"Yes..." the blond man said with a fond smile. "She's just arrived from the Middle Eastern division. In fact… there's something I want to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

"I hope not to jinx it, but if we all make it through this…" the blond man said with a conspiratorial look on his face. "I'd like you to be my best man."

The Major's eyes widened like dinner plates and his jaw nearly fell off as he overheard the conversation.

"Of all the..." he muttered to himself under his breath, watching them go.

Then he noticed they were heading in the direction of the medical bay. Seized by a sudden bout of curiosity, he followed them from a distance. A few moments later, the duo reached their destination and a beautiful dark haired young woman with brown skin, possibly of Indian or Arabic descent, came out to meet them wearing a typical doctor's labcoat.

The Major had seen enough. Visibly disturbed, he walked away.

"Unbelievable..." he muttered to himself under his breath. "Of all the..."

As soon as he was out of earshot, he let out a deep sigh and kept walking through the corridors, past a few security checkpoints, and finally towards a fortified chamber in the heart of the base. After the biometric scanner recognized him and the absurdly thick door parted, he stepped into a chamber where a tall figure was standing behind a metal desk, with its back turned to the door.

"I think I'll have that drink after all, Commander..." the Major said with a weary sigh.

* * *

Two days passed, and while more battles broke out across the world, the Robot Masters tried to enjoy an involuntary break as the Hikari twins took their machines in for repairs. During this time, the ugly military robots began appearing more frequently, along with the mysterious Gespenst and the two unnaturally talented pilots in the red and white robots.

On the morning of the third day, in one of the Hikari Laboratory's hangars...

"The Titanium X is holding up nicely." Lan said as he finished replacing a plate on the Guts Machine's chest. "But there's still room for improvement."

"The formula isn't perfect yet." Hub said with a nod. "Or maybe our tools are simply not good enough to replicate it properly."

"If only the others knew where it came from..." Lan added with a smirk.

A few minutes later, Ms. Yumi stepped into the hangar carrying a tablet.

"Professors." she said with a polite nod. "Those tests you asked for are finished. Here are the results."

Lan climbed down the elevating platform he was using to prop himself up to the Guts Machine's chest, took off the thick welding gloves he was wearing and took the tablet in his hands.

"Thank you."

His lips curled into a grin as he perused the contents of the report.

"Oh..." he said, sounding a little giddy. "Dex is going to love this!"

Lan reached for his PET and called his old friend and rival.

"Doing anything today?" he asked with a grin as Dex's sleepy face instantly lit up.

"Just catchin' up with office work." he grumbled. "Not gonna last much longer as Mayor otherwise."

"Then I guess you... don't want to hear about that thing we talked about before..." Lan said in a slow, deliberate tone, savoring his reaction.

Dex swallowed, glanced around his office hesitantly and then reached for the intercom on the desk.

"Ms. Nanako… please cancel my appointments for the rest of the day." he said, momentarily reverting to the formal tone of a civic leader.

"Again?" a woman replied through the intercom with an exasperated sigh. "Good grief, Mr. Mayor..."

"Sorry..." he said, lowering his head even though she couldn't see him. "I will make it up to you later, I promise."

With that, he stood from his office chair.

"I'm on my way." Dex said with an excited, beaming smile as he turned his attention back to his PET. "Where are your boys anyway? They're gonna want to see this."

"I'm afraid that'll have to wait." Lan said. "They've gone on a little side trip while we're finishing up here."

With the school temporarily closed and the country in a state of emergency, there wasn't much else for the energetic boys to do in their hometown before the next battle.

"It's almost scary how fast the Great Harpuia can be." Hub chimed in.

"I'm just surprised Sage played along." Lan remarked with an amused smile.

"He tries to act all professional and composed, but we both know those four love the kids." Hub said with a shrug.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Sanctum of the Founders...

"I see you've spruced up the place a bit since last time we were here." Raito said appreciatively.

"Well, the old layout was functional, but not really suited for family life." Atreus explained. "The family has been making small improvements here and there for the past twenty years."

Despite the distinct hi-tech flair of the decoration, the floors of the Sanctum above ground level looked surprisingly mundane, like what one would expect to see in the home of a family of nerds. The living room where they were sitting was filled with sunlight, filtering in through white synthetic silk curtains and specially treated bulletproof glass, which allowed them to enjoy the view of the city, the sky and the sea in the distance without worrying about indiscreet eyes. Other than the couch and the large TV mounted on a wall, the chamber was full of aluminium bookcases, while a table and chairs of the same material was set against the wall behind the couch. Mounted on the wall, as if watching over the table, was the portrait of an older man, dark-haired and with intense blue eyes, hauntingly similar in appearance to Cadmus apart from the beard. A small plaque on the lower side of the frame simply read "Thaddeus Atreides – Self-Portrait"

"So anyway..." Maito added, plopping down on a soft blue synthetic fiber couch. "How did you end up piloting that thing?"

"It just showed up in the middle of an attack and then those two kept prodding me to follow their lead." Atreus said. "Admittedly, it didn't take much to get me to act."

"I noticed that you didn't look particularly happy about it all." Raito pointed out.

"Yeah..." Atreus said, sitting down on the couch as well. "Truth be told, I'm still not sold on the idea. Those two… whatever they are… Let's say they're not easy to deal with. The old guy is always angry or snarky, or just sulking somewhere. The other one who sounds almost like his son is calmer but it's impossible to have a decent conversation without the old one butting in. When they do speak, they usually end up arguing."

"Man..." Raito grumbled. "That's a pity. I mean, you, me, my cousin here… we're living the dream."

"The dream?" Atreus asked, a little confused.

"You know, getting to play hero?" Raito explained. "With a cool suit, a giant robot and a team of buddies?"

"I was… never that much of a fan of the genre." Atreus admitted.

The two cousins exchanged glances and then looked at him as if he had grown an additional head.

"What?" Atreus asked, confused by their reaction.

"Are you serious right now?!" Raito asked incredulously, to which Atreus just nodded.

"So wait..." Maito realized, thinking back to the battles in Albion. "If you're not that familiar with the material, then how is it that those two inside your machine are?"

"Huh?"

"You know, the comment the Son made after the Guts Machine fired that Rocket Punch?" Raito pointed out.

"I have absolutely no idea." Atreus said with a shrug.

* * *

Around the same time, in one of the hangars underneath the Sanctum, the Apotheosis stood inert, with the two entities inside completely and utterly bored.

"You know..." the Son grumbled. "If you were not always like this, perhaps someone would actually come and speak to us."

"I can do without the company of children and fools." the Father retorted dryly. "Perhaps I will simply rest."

"Suit yourself." the Son grumbled.

Moments later, a shimmering humanoid form manifested in the air in front of the machine, seemingly made of light, with its features covered by a hooded tunic. The figure stepped across the chamber, through a tempered glass window and into a smaller adjacent room where a large screen was plugged in.

Another moment later, the hangar door opened and Lune stepped inside. Noticing the light coming from the adjacent chamber, she stepped inside to find the figure standing there, watching a random TV channel.

"Well, look who's decided to come out for a stroll." she remarked. "It's been a long time since I last saw you doing that."

"It can become rather… uncomfortable in there at times." the Son admitted rather candidly. "I might as well try to distract myself a little while we are idle and within range."

"You know there's a couch right there, right?" she pointed out.

"You know I am incorporeal, right?" the Son reminded her with a sigh. "But I appreciate the hospitality."

She remained silent for a few moments, simply watching the ethereal figure consuming such mundane entertainment before speaking again.

"You don't need to mope around down here all by yourself though." she remarked. "Why not go speak to the children?"

"This is your home." the Son retorted, sounding tired and a little bitter. "I am merely a guest here… and soon an unwelcome one, if my father's antics continue."

"You are not him." Lune said with a scowl.

"No, but I am part of the reason why he lingers." the Son said with a sigh. "Part of the reason why he acts this way... even though I never asked for this. Let the children have their quiet time away from both of us while it lasts."

"Come to think of it… you never really liked to speak of your past." Lune observed.

"I cannot very well forget it." the Son lamented. "Believe me, I tried. I suppose I will need to have a long conversation with the children about all of that eventually, but now is not the time."

"That father of yours is definitely a handful." Lune said with a scowl. "But if you hate this situation so much, why stay here? Are you… trapped in the machine?"

"Because it is my duty." the Son said grimly. "Also because… I want to believe. So does he, despite the things he says."

"I don't blame you for what he did." Lune said rather bluntly. "But I wish you two would be a bit more open with us about what's going on."

"You will have all the answers you could possibly want before all this is over." the Son said. "You have my word on that. But I cannot guarantee you will like them."

* * *

Back upstairs...

"Well then..." Maito said with a grin."

"It's a good thing we're here then." Raito added with the same grin, clenching his fist.

Maito let out a whistle.

"A thousand channels, unlimited video on demand and a huge 12K screen?" he remarked appreciatively as he grabbed the remote control and fiddled with the menus.

"Good taste." Raito added with a grin.

"Make yourself comfortable." Maito said as he sifted through the list of available shows. "Your education begins now."

It just so happened that Amelia picked that exact moment to walk by, carrying a white robot in the shape of a cat in her arms.

"Perfect timing." Raito said as he spotted her and beckoned her over. "Come here!"

Unsure what was going on, she did just that, sitting down next to her brother.

"We'll start with the classics." Maito said excitedly. "Introducing… the invincible... Fortress of Steel!"

* * *

Several hours later…

"That… definitely was something." Atreus said, feeling a little overwhelmed after a proper binge watching session.

"I'm not sure if I should call it ridiculous, awesome or ridiculously awesome." Amelia pondered.

"Food for thought." Ciel remarked with an amused smile as she stepped into the living room. "Speaking of which, who's hungry?"

The four checked the time display on the TV menu and, to their surprise, dinner time was almost upon them.

"You probably shouldn't have asked that..." Maito remarked with a grin, emphatically leering at his cousin.

"Don't forget we lived in the same town as your family for a little over a year." Ciel said, trying not to laugh. "We know what to expect from a Hikari or two."

"That definitely sounds great, but shouldn't we be heading back?" Maito pondered.

"We do have guest rooms." Amelia remarked. "If you need to get home in a hurry, we'll arrange for something."

"We don't know when we might get another chance." Raito pointed out. "Could be weeks, or months. I say we take it."

"You just want to stuff yourself with the local food." Maito teased.

Raito definitely lived to the Hikari name that evening, devouring enough food to feed a family of four. As he finished a piece of sushi, he paused to ponder the taste.

"There's something different about this… but I can't put my finger on it."

"Different varieties of fish." Atreus said, still busy with a helping of shellfish. "It looks like every coastal city in the world has its own particular version nowadays."

He paused for a moment and adjusted the position of the crab claw occupying his attention on a square white plastic base, and then cracked the shell with a mallet made from the same material.

"Who made all of this anyway?" Raito asked. "It's delicious."

"Would you believe me if I told you Sage did?" Ciel asked in turn.

"After seeing my Dad cook, I believe it." Maito said. "I remember him saying something to me once about how learning how to do something like that made him feel like a part of the human world."

"The way we heard it, it was actually one of the first things he decided to try out when the upgrades to his body reached a certain point." Cadmus recalled fondly between pieces of grilled tuna steak. "The looks of happiness on his and your mother's faces when they started exploring the physical world together was priceless."

He made sure to omit the more embarrassing parts of the day Roll had finally received her own modified Copy Bot, but Ciel still smirked in amusement at the recollection of him struggling to breathe after finding himself on the receiving end of an ecstatic Roll's bear hug.

"For my part, I'm grateful for it all too." Maito said, politely finishing his portion while struggling not to indulge in the same level of gluttony. "It's crazy to imagine all the things we take for granted nowadays."

"Why isn't Sage eating with us tonight anyway?" Amelia pointed out.

"Oh, he said he had some things to take care of. Working on his reaction times or something like that." Ciel said with a knowing smile.

She knew very well that the Guardians were simply trying to give the children some space to have fun before another battle broke out. It also happened that Sage was a little embarrassed to admit that he shared certain interests with them, a fact Fighter made sure to regularly tease him for.

That night was quiet and uneventful and the nearly identical cousins slept like rocks. After finally waking up, Raito got up from bed and stepped into a nearby balcony to catch the fresh morning air.

"_I can definitely see why they'd build this here." _he thought as the breathtaking view of the sun rising over the sea, the distant pounding of the waves and the sounds of seagulls filled him with a tranquil contentment. _"Once all this is over, we'll have to come back here on vacation."_

After a few minutes just standing there staring, he decided to go check up on Atreus on a whim. Already familiar with the layout of the building, he quickly made his way to the room and knocked on the door.

"Yes?" came the reply from inside.

"Are you doing anything in there you don't want me to see?" Raito teased.

"Not really." came the deadpan reply. "Come on in."

To his surprise, he found Atreus sitting on a mat next to the bed, apparently going through some sort of meditation exercises on a tablet.

"Well, this is new." he remarked.

"I may have told you before, but I do have some occasional anxiety issues." Atreus explained. "They got a little worse since this mess started, but sometimes a change of airs really does wonders."

"I… think you mentioned that before, yes."

"There's… another thing too." Atreus said with a slight frown. "It probably sounds silly, and it's difficult to put into words but..."

"My uncle died as a baby, was reborn as a Navi, then made it back to the physical world in a synthetic body and half the world still treats him and my Dad like they're some kind of saviors of the universe." Raito pointed out with a smile. "I'm used to weirdness and silliness."

Overcoming his initial hesitation, Atreus elaborated.

"It's like I have this nagging feeling at times… that there's something important I should be doing. Something I can't remember."

"Well duh, we do have to kick those blue assholes off the planet." Raito pointed out with a shrug.

"That too. But this… is different." Atreus clarified, struggling to find the right words. "I've had this weird feeling ever since I was old enough to remember… as if… a part of me was missing."

"Ever talked to anyone else about it?" Raito asked, plopping down next to him.

"Amelia knows. It's part of the reason why I spent so much time hiking across every corner of this island. She was never far behind, actually. Ever since she learned how to walk she'd follow me everywhere."

"Weird… but not silly." Raito pondered before emphatically shrugging. "Then again, my weirdness threshold may be a bit higher than yours."

He then looked around the room and whistled. The walls were lined with pictures of famous paintings and tapestries, all depicting medieval knights, coats of arms and heroic feats.

"What's all this anyway?"

"One of my hobbies." Atreus said, amused at his surprised expression.

Then, Atreus got up and swept his arm across the room in a somewhat dramatic fashion.

"The history of our world isn't always bright and cheerful, and many of the historical knights were reprehensible for a variety of reasons. Most of them couldn't even agree on a coherent set of principles. But..."

He then walked up to his metal desk, where a thick hardcover book was prominently on display. For emphasis, he gently flipped through the pages.

"The basic ideal was always there. The primordial spark. The drive to give of oneself for the sake of others."

"So this is why you were so excited to see Alex again." Raito realized.

"Yes. I don't go around charging at windmills or making ludicrous displays, but it was quite exciting to reconnect with someone else who shares my interests. An actual prince, no less."

"Heh."

"I mean, my mother calls me one, and I'm technically a candidate for the Second Imperative, but…" he stammered. "They can keep their seats forever, as far as I'm concerned. I don't want to even imagine a world without either of them or my sister."

"I get what you're saying." Raito said with a nod. "I don't know what I'd do without my folks. You'd have to be pretty messed up not to love your family."

"And the world." Atreus said with a strange smile.

"The world? The whole world? How do you even fit that in your chest?"

"We..." Atreus elaborated. "As much as it can frustrate me at times, it's the only one we have… and people like your father and uncle have shown us time and again that we can all be better than this."

"Big dreams, huh?"

"Just the basic stuff." Atreus said. "We'd all be better off if people treated each other with kindness and patience. If that fails, then we should do something about it and not just look away and keep walking."

"That's just common sense to me." Raito said. "You don't need to build an entire creed around it. I don't know why some people don't get something so simple."

"I guess that's one of the perks of being raised properly." Atreus remarked.

"That said..." Raito added with a grin. "You said you weren't a fan of those shows, but the way you were screaming and swinging that sword around… not to mention the whole knight thing…"

"Now that you mention it… it is strangely fitting." Atreus conceded with a smile. "I just wonder how this started. It just clicked with me when I was just a little boy."

"We may make a proper fan out of you yet!" Raito said with glee. "Or a proper protagonist now that we're living it!"

"Nah. You can have that seat." Atreus retorted with a wave of his hand. "I… just want to put a stop to this madness… and to make sure that all my friends and family make it through this in one piece."

"As long as you don't decide to put on a weird mask and end the world because it's rotten or something stupid like that." Raito teased.

"Then promise you won't have an existential crisis and erase everything." Atreus retorted with a scoff.

"We don't do that shit around here." Raito replied with a cheeky grin. "I love the world as much as you do."

A few more days passed without further incidents of note. For almost a week, the Neo Atlantean siblings and the Hikari cousins binged on the giant robot shows of old, but soon enough they found themselves restless again. They couldn't bring themselves to sit idly by enjoying the animated action and over the top characters knowing what was lurking outside in the real world.

After checking in with the Hikari Laboratory and with Laika, they finally found something to do, and Atreus and the Hikari cousins made plans to set out on the Apotheosis to meet the Guts brothers in the Morskoy Lev off the island's shore. Unfortunately, the Hoplon needed further adjustments and was unable to join them.

"Don't worry Sis." Atreus said, giving her a hug before leaving. "I'll stay in touch and I'm sure you'll be rejoining us soon."

"Count on it." she retorted before catching the three boys in a hug.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world...

The twins and their wives had often wondered if they would end up getting their own places after getting married, but after a couple of dreadful experiences following the return from their honeymoons, they had decided to stick to what was already familiar. The parents on both families had been ecstatic about this arrangement, especially after the coming of the first grandchildren, and everyone involved had settled into a comfortable routine.

This was the bastion of the Hikari family. Their palace, their place of solace. The pair of plain-looking suburban homes were worth more to them than any penthouse, fancy hotel or mansion.

On the living room where they would often gather for meals and just to spend the time in each other's company, the current head of the Hikari Laboratory and his wife were enjoying a peaceful evening.

With their oldest son out on a trip and the younger son and daughter fast asleep, they had some time for each other in silence. It felt almost eerie to them to have the house so quiet. The two houses, built next to each other, had changed little in twenty years, apart from the joining of the garden fences and some equipment having been replaced with more modern models and the small renovations and expansions.

How are you holding up?" Lan asked as he approached the couch where Mayl was lounging, carrying two mugs full of green tea.

"Still managing." Mayl replied, accepting the mug he handed her as she sat up to make room for him.

"Definitely not how I expected to spend my career..." he mused, sitting next to her. "Designing and building weapons… fighting in a war… All I wanted was to study the bonds between people and the strength they give us."

"Well, if I know you, you'd never be able to sit around doing nothing." Mayl remarked. "Plus you hate leaving something unfinished."

"You know me too well, honey." he said with a tired smile. "Unfortunately, it looks like some of Dad's bad habits were passed on to me. I needed this break badly."

"Any regrets?" she asked before taking a sip from her mug.

"Who doesn't have any?" he replied with a shrug. "I put mine to rest long ago though. Mostly having been thick as a bank vault door about some things... and letting some people sucker me in the past. You?"

"I just wish we'd done some more traveling around the world before this mess started." she said with a pensive expression as she stared into her mug.

Then her face lit up and she looked straight at him with a soft smile.

"But as for life choices, I'm right where I've always wanted to be."

Lan was once again reminded that he had made the right choice, all those years before. Even with the world descending into madness, his constant companion fueled the flames in his heart and kept his hand steady. As a matter of fact, their flames fed each other's, and there were times when hers managed to eclipse his.

"We should probably enjoy the quiet while it lasts." Lan said. "Tomorrow we'll have to go back to work."

"I know that look..." Mayl remarked. "You're up to something again."

"You know me too well." he conceded.

"I can even guess what's going through your mind." Mayl said with confidence. "You still wish you could be there playing hero with the kids."

"I have to accept reality, honey." Lan said with a sigh. "Right now, I can do the most good where I am."

"That's not going to last forever." Mayl remarked. "Just promise me one thing."

"Anything." he said, before taking her hand and kissing it.

"I won't try to stop you from being the hero you've always been." she said, ruffling his hair. "But don't leave me out of it."

"Of course, honey." he said with a mischievous grin. "But that can wait. For now, I believe you need my full attention."

At that remark, she laughed softly.

"When did you get so charming anyway?" she quipped. "If I didn't know better, I'd think your brother was feeding you lines from behind the couch."

"If I wanted to taste one of Roll's atomic punches, maybe." Lan joked.

"Dumbass!" she scoffed. "You make my sister sound like some kind of violent maniac."

She then tilted her head and smirked in amusement.

"Besides… she wasn't the one going around kicking killer robots in the face."

"To be fair, I wasn't the only one." he reminded her, recalling his stunts during the Sigma Uprising, fresh from a dose of the Project Unity nanites and a bit of overclocking courtesy of Hub.

"I'm glad you kept the scarf, by the way." Mayl said, momentarily looking like a lovestruck teenager again. "It still reminds me of how daring you were back then."

"My biggest act of daring..." he whispered, edging closer. "Was still the first of these."

The kiss he stole in that moment felt as electrifying to her as their first, just like every single one that had followed.

* * *

The next day...

"Nothing to report so far." Raito informed, having just finished a patrol over the western Atlantic shores, with the X-1 standing on top of the Morskoy Lev at surface level. "Why do we need to do these sweeps anyway? Don't they have satellites and remote control planes for this?"

While lounging about for too long had begun to make him restless, he had not expected to end up doing this sort of work. Thankfully, their machine had taken only minor damage, which meant it was the first to roll back out of the laboratory.

"The sensors on the X-1 are more precise than most." Maito explained with a hint of disapproval, showing how verbose he could be at times – especially when scolding his cousin. "You'd know this if you'd bothered reading the whole manual. I know you're smart enough to understand everything.

"Besides, the regular systems aren't very reliable if you want to track smaller units." Alyona chimed in through the radio. "That damned alien metal interferes with the detection systems, but the lab staff is working on that."

"Nothing at seabed level either." Dex chimed in from inside a diving suit. "Finished setting up the sensor package. If anything tries to get through this area, we'll find out."

"What?" Raito asked. "How does that work?"

"As it turns out, seawater messes with some of the metal's properties." Maito explained. "It's not so good at evading detection down there. Seriously, read the briefing materials. I know you're smart enough to understand them."

"When did you learn how to work with that equipment anyway?" Alyona asked.

"My parents were never rich." Dex pointed out. "I didn't wanna bug 'em for help every time my PET or computer broke down, so I taught myself some stuff on the side. Won't do much good if a part's beyond repair but these hands ain't as clumsy as they look."

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Raito thought he'd seen something moving in the distance and quickly shifted his gaze in that direction.

"Did you see that?!" he cried out.

"See what?" Maito asked.

"Focus the sensors over there!" he shouted excitedly, pointing through the cockpit's external view ports.

His cousin shrugged and did as instructed, but couldn't find anything.

"Are you sure you're not seeing things? Have you been eating properly?"

"Skipping meals is heresy in my book." Raito said in mock outrage. "Who was doing the sweep in that area?"

"Seriously? Did you pay attention to anything at all during the mission briefing?" Maito scolded. "Atreus was covering that area. Closest side to home and all that."

Strangely enough, Raito did not reply, distracted by a sudden thought.

"_Home…"_ he thought with a sigh as the image of a certain petite bespectacled girl flashed across his mind. _"I wonder what she's doing..."_

"No smartass reply?" Maito remarked. "You OK cousin?"

"Never mind that." Raito grumbled. "Get Sir Knight on the radio."

"Atreus!" Maito called out on the communications console. "Where are you?"

"Here." he replied from the air somewhere further east, beyond the horizon. "What is it?"

"Anything strange on your end?"

"Just some debris. It looks like leftovers from that skirmish reported by the air force two days ago."

"Nothing else?" Maito insisted.

"Wait a minute..."

Atreus sensed four presences in his immediate area. Three belonged to the smaller, spherical unmanned fighters the aliens had been deploying in various locations, mostly to harass civilian flights and make a nuisance of themselves. There was something else, though, something with an almost familiar presence. However, it was too elusive for him to identify or pinpoint.

"Drones. Just three." he called out. "Perfect time for target practice."

Still not very comfortable using his construct's ranged weapons, he welcomed the opportunity to hone his skills at a place where missing wouldn't make a mess. As he focused his will and directed it to the task at hand, something else came into his field of view, small and soaring through the sky in a white streak. Again the strange feeling returned. He focused on the object, trying to get a clear image, and what he saw left him utterly confused.

"Unidentified object spotted." he hesitantly reported. "Heading towards the drones. It's… definitely not a bird or a plane..."

As his mind struggled to process the absurd sight, through the construct's sensor array he could finally perceive the entirety of the strange object. It was humanoid in shape, in fact, roughly around the same size as a regular human, flying through the air without any visible propulsion.

"What the hell is that?!" he cried out, leaning forward to get a better look.

His confusion intensified as he intently studied its features. It definitely looked humanoid, and rather feminine the more he looked at it, like some bizarre mixture of a suit of armor and a ballroom dress, with a flowing white skirt with a green inner lining, green legs ending in white tipped boots, a slender green torso with a strange red protrusion at the center of the chest much like a horn, green arms, black gloves with white fingers, pointy white shoulderpads and a green head, crowned by a red crest and featuring what looked like oversized white eyebrows. Its face looked like a featureless white mask with blue eyes.

Silently wondering if someone had spiked his morning tea, Atreus watched as the figure kept soaring through the air, until it was a relatively short distance from the approaching drones. It was then that his day became even more bizarre.

The blue eye covers in the armored figure's helmet started glowing with a strange purple light he had never seen before. At the exact same time, he felt an odd tingling in his temples and forehead. The red protrusion on the figure's torso split open, unfolding into a V shape over the chest before it started glowing with the same light. A purple energy beam of some sort burst forth, spearing through the drone at the center of the formation and causing it to explode.

The figure was not done, however. It clawed its fingers and both hands lit up with the same light. The remaining drones were enveloped in it as well and slammed into each other, breaking apart and showering the ocean below with their scattered pieces.

As Atreus struggled to process all of this, the figure stopped, its chest protrusion folding back into its horn shape and the light subsiding. For some reason, it felt to him as if the figure was smiling at him. Finally acknowledging his presence, it turned directly to him, waved in a surprisingly casual way, and then darted off into the distance faster than he could track it.

"They're never going to believe me..." he muttered to himself, before remembering that the Apotheosis was either outfitted with or fully emulating the typical equipment suit found in fighter craft and conventional robots. Wrapping up his patrol, he took a mental note to check the recordings as soon as he finished washing up. In the back of his mind, he could hear the Father laughing for some reason.


	9. Wounded Hearts, Burning Souls

Chapter 9 – Wounded Hearts, Burning Souls

Another day passed, with only minor skirmishes against drones, and once the repairs on the rest of the machines were done the Robot Masters were eventually reunited, though the circumstances were not exactly joyful.

"Just in time, it seems..." Lan said in with a stony look on his face as he stood before his entire team, gathered in laboratory hangar.

"What's going on?" Chisao asked.

"The aliens have launched another large scale attack." Lan said grimly.

"Where?" Raito asked.

"A coastal city to the east of Neo Atlantis. Olisipo." Hub elaborated. "A Pantheon force is already on its way but things are looking..."

Maito had never seen his father with such a look on his face, and he hoped to never see that again.

Nobody spoke for the first couple of hours of the trip across the ocean. Instead, they stood at the bridge of the Morskoy Lev in their piloting suits, impatiently gazing upon the navigation display.

"We can't keep up like this..." Laika grumbled. "We have to figure out a way to get this thing to move faster."

"I'm working on it." Kalinka said with a frown. "Short of strapping rocket boosters to the hull though, I'm not sure what else we can do when this kind of size and mass are involved."

"Have you thought about making it fly?" Raito asked, looking hopeful.

Kalinka laughed.

"I like the way you think."

* * *

Meanwhile...

For thousands of years, Olisipo had grown from humble beginnings as a fishing port. In the days of the Greater Roman Empire, once the emperors had momentarily given up on talking the islands of Albion due to the ferocity of their inhabitants and turned their attention elsewhere, the city had grown into a provincial capital and one of Iberia's major trading hubs.

Once the Romans had decided to turn their attention to what lay beyond the Atlantic Ocean, the city's size had exploded. From there countless expeditions had left. Common citizens, retired soldiers, craftsmen, former gladiators, disgraced politicians or youths seeking adventure, it did not matter as they had boarded the countless ships. To the present day it was still debated by historians, scientists and everyone else with an interest in the matter how the Romans had managed to cross westward, a feat that should by all accounts have been impossible with the technology of the time. A feat that they had not only achieved but repeated, to the point it had enabled them to establish colonies in the region.

After the disintegration of the Greater Roman Empire, Iberia had eventually gained its independence along with the other territories scattered across four continents. Rising and falling in prominence throughout the following centuries, Olisipo had eventually regained and surpassed its former glory after the Iberians, inheriting the ambition of their predecessors, had eventually taken to exploring the far reaches of the ocean themselves, discovering new lands and civilizations, establishing colonies of their own – even in South America, which the Romans had avoided with nearly superstitious terror after having had enormous expeditions decimated by dangerous wildlife, unyielding terrain and, worst of all, devastating new diseases they had no way of defending themselves from.

For a time, Iberia had been one of the richest and most influential in the world, gorging itself on the riches of the new lands, especially spices, precious minerals and exotic craftsmanship… before suffering bureaucratic stagnation, civil wars, invasion attempts from foreign powers and finally losing most of their overseas holdings to independence movements.

Through all of this, the ancient city had still managed to remain unbroken, a beautiful relic combining the architectural and artistic sensitivities of dozens of centuries, even surviving two devastating earthquakes that had been mistaken for signs of the end times on both occasions. More recently, after suffering a terrible economic recession that lasted decades, its location had allowed it to bloom once again, thanks to trade in specialty goods, tourism and the surge in construction work in the wake of the founding of Neo Atlantis. The Sigma Uprising had left its marks as well due to the explosive growth of network technology in the region, but once again the city was in full bloom.

In less than a day, however, the elderly metropolis was defaced by a new kind of assailant.

"I should have known..." Atreus hissed as he beheld the burning city on his approach from the ocean.

Sensing the trembling in his voice, Amelia would have cast him a worried glance… were she not equally horrified.

"This is… just as bad as Nova Vinea..." Atreus said dejectedly. "Maybe worse."

"_This is madness..." _Atreus thought, torn between the fury boiling inside him and the prickling in his chest as the flames of life flickered around him and some sputtered out here and there.

He had remained completely silent about the things he had seen there and during his dash across an entire continent before stumbling upon the Robot Masters. Amelia had harbored her suspicions about the reason why, but being face to face with such horror in person confirmed them.

"_How did you manage? __How do the others?__" _she wondered, feeling a dull ache in her chest as she thought of the lives that were likely being snuffed out in front of them.

While she had taken the time to put on the custom piloting suit her parents had made for her, in the same style as her brother's own, which she had forgotten in her haste to go find him, such concern seemed utterly meaningless before what she was witnessing.

"Remember, don't waste too much time on the remote control toys." Sage instructed. "Take them out if they become too much of a nuisance, but unless we take down the command units we'll be swatting flies all day."

"Are we here to gawk?" Fighter growled as the Great Fefnir's cannons began to hum. "Or are we here to-"

He was cut off by a furious roar as Atreus finally lost his composure and charged ahead with his construct's blade raised.

"The fuck was that?!" Fighter muttered, surprised by the outburst.

"Hey! Wait up!" Amelia cried out, rushing in after her brother.

Fairy sighed and pressed on, pushing the Great Leviathan faster through the waters.

"Children… I wish you hadn't had to see this." she lamented.

The Four Guardians and Amelia charged after the Apotheosis. In their wake, several Pantheon divisions in flight gear began to fan around the area, engaging the humanoid alien machines in one on one dogfights, chasing the unmanned units, drones and fighters through the skies. After seeing the first signs of the devastation through satellites, the Guardians had brought as many reinforcements with them as they'd dared without leaving Neo Atlantis undefended.

"FUCKERS!" Fighter roared as he unleashed a barrage of fire from his machine's twin cannons in the direction of the nearest enemy unit.

"In this case, I agree." Sage hissed, before lighting up his machine's blades and going on a rampage, propelling himself through the air and darting from target to target like a green demon, tearing through the unmanned units and the drones.

Fairy and Phantom did not bother commenting, instead setting about their work while making sure to watch their young charges. The Great Phantom hurled a flurry of explosive kunai at any alien machine in sight, while the Great Leviathan's freezing beams pinned several of them in place. One of the command units was also caught in Fairy's fire, and as soon as she realized it, she rushed at it, spear raised, and thrust the tip into the cockpit. Unlike their hot-blooded sibling, the other three Guardians did not waste time with quips or posturing.

"Are you going to keep wasting our fucking time with remote control toys?!" Fighter roared in defiance. "Come out, cowards!"

That got the enemy's attention, as several unmanned units pointed their rocket launchers at him simultaneously. Giving them a dirty look, he tore two of them apart with his cannons, then spun around to dodge an incoming rocket. He focused both cannons on the offender, reducing it to slag, but two other rockets connected, hitting his machine in the head and chest.

"That all you got?!" he taunted, with the plating scorched and dented at the points of impact but his fury only stoked further.

A focused rocket barrage from three unmanned units forced him to dodge and weave out of the way, until the Great Fefnir was struck again and tumbled until it was staring between a rotunda and an old white building, which seemingly had been renovated several times over the decades, with a large inscribed marble plaque mounted near the entrance. Straightening his machine up, Fighter glanced at the plaque, where he saw what looked like a university's insignia, flanked by some words.

**UNIVERSITAS OLISIPONENSIS – AD LUCEM**

With his typical temper flaring, he tore the plaque off its pedestal and started bludgeoning the opposition with it, overlooking the two others creeping in from behind.

The Great Harpuia darted by in a burst of supersonic speed, shattering some windows in the vicinity and bisecting both assailants from the chest down.

"You talk too much, brother." he remarked as the machines' torsos fell off their bodies.

One of the command units came into view, not even bothering to hide like its predecessors.

"Finally!" the alien proclaimed. "After wasting so much time on the cattle, a worthy opponent! Our battle will-"

"Shut up." Fairy cut him off, blasting the machine with the Great Leviathan's freezing beam.

"And go to hell!" Fighter added, before throwing what was left of the stone plaque at its head and then unleashing another barrage that blasted the alien robot's entire upper section, leaving only the legs standing.

Amelia winced at the sight, but after what she had just seen, she did not feel particularly sorry for the alien.

A few moments later, a massive black form loomed in the horizon amidst the clouds, seemingly propelled by a combination of turbines and a rocket booster in the back, and from a hatch in the rear section descended a squadron of robots in the unmistakably ugly design the world was becoming increasingly familiar with, firing their thrusters to control their landing. There was no sign of the Gespenst, but Atreus did recognize two of the machines.

Leading the mysterious soldiers, two robots took point, one painted white, the other red, both of them with the same mark in the shape of a comet or meteor painted on their chests. Again, he felt the strange tingling sensation on his head… and so did Amelia.

"_What was that?" _she thought, nervously glancing around.

"_Do those two have something to do with… whatever that flying thing was?"_ Atreus pondered, recognizing the sensation.

His attention was then directed elsewhere, as armored machines of the same model that had appeared in Albion came into view… along with some other new ones.

"We are done testing the waters." a voice proclaimed with the robotic intonation of the one of the alien translators.

Flanked by two of the armored models, which were standing there with rifles pointed up almost like an honor guard a different machine flew into view. Taller than even the Guts Machine, it stood menacingly, humanoid in shape, fashioned from a different alloy, this time a mossy green with a metallic sheen, sporting oversized shoulderpads from which a pair of what could only be cannons were protruding. While the plating was not as obviously thick as that of the armored models, it projected a menacing presence in its own right. A strange purple insignia, in the shape of three concentric spheres, was emblazoned upon the chest and forehead. In its hands it was wielding what looked like an oversized cannon, almost like an upscaled version of the rifles wielded by the lesser models, fashioned from a shiny black metal, emanating a baleful yellow glow and with tubes of some sort coiled around the barrel.

"And I'm done listening to your posturing!" Atreus spat. "Defend yourself!"

As he prepared to engage this new foe, however, someone else interrupted.

"You came to the wrong planet, motherfuckers!" a man's voice boomed from one of the military machines, thick and with a rather distinctive accent, broadcasting on an open frequency.

One of the machines, painted black, broke formation and rushed at the alien group with its right arm raised, firing off its rocket boosters.

"Get back here!" the pilot of the red machine angrily commanded through the internal frequencies.

Before the black machine could get into striking range, the two armored alien units took aim and unceremoniously shot its legs off.

"Motherfuckers!" the pilot raged helplessly as his suddenly imbalanced machine tumbled past its target.

"God damnit Jenkins..." another soldier hissed.

Trying to salvage the situation, the pilot of the red machine went on the offensive, soon joined by his seemingly inseparable partner in the white unit.

"I'm not sure what's going on here..." Amelia remarked. "But I'm not going to be a bystander in this!"

The alien leader scoffed as the two Neo Atlantean units rushed from one side with sword and spear and the red and white military machines from the other, not bothering to dodge or take defensive measures.

"Weak." an alien in one of the armored machines taunted as it interposed itself in front of the barrage of bullets.

The rest of the squadron opened fire simultaneously, incensed by the indifference to their efforts. Caught by surprise, the pilot of the armored unit flinched as it was pelted by hundreds of projectiles, slowly but surely shearing the plating away.

"Who's weak now?!" the pilot of the white machine shouted as he unleashed the Kinetic Strike Module on the exposed internal components in the torso.

At the same time, the Hoplon's spear edged closer to the leader's machine… only for it to grab the tip with its right hand.

"Let. Go." Atreus growled, bringing his blade to bear on the robot's wrist.

To his surprise, the blade bounced off, as if it had struck some sort of invisible wall.

The pilot of the command unit aimed its shoulder cannons and fired on the Apotheosis at point blank range, sending it tumbling back as the Aura Barrier crackled and flickered out.

Amelia's eyes narrowed as she watched the construct's trajectory.

"You shouldn't have done that..." she hissed, glaring at the alien.

The Hoplon's spear, as if fueled by her intent, started glowing with the same golden light as the Aura Barrier… and the tip sliced through the larger robot's hand like a hot knife through butter.

"The slow blade penetrates the shield!" Amelia remarked with a smirk, pushing it further.

As the lead unit struggled and tried to shove the Hoplon and its spear away, the pilot of the second armored machine tried to intervene, only to be battered with the Great Leviathan's freezing beam, followed by a barrage from the Great Fefnir's cannons.

"Leave the kids alone." Fighter growled.

"Whatever that barrier is, it looks like it's not very good against abrupt temperature oscillations." Phantom remarked.

"My turn." Sage chimed in.

Then the Great Harpuia, flying overhead, started spinning like a bullet with its blades held in front of its head before diving down for a repeat performance of its entrance in Albion. With the same precision and power as before, it tore through, before emerging on the other side. Not bothering to pause to watch his handiwork, Sage finished the job with another dive, increasing the output of the twin energy blades on his machine's wrists and driving them into his target's head, skewering the cockpit.

Some distance away, the Apotheosis straightened itself.

"Looks like I got careless..." Atreus chided himself, a little dizzy from the tumble. Thankfully the machine seemed undamaged, but the barrier was still down.

"Stop hesitating, boy." the Father grumbled.

"What are you talking about?"

"You are still not going all out. One of these days someone is going to pay for that."

"Maybe if you actually gave me some useful advice instead of just spouting nonsense..." he protested.

"Then how is this for advice? If you do not take this seriously, everyone and everything you have ever known will burn."

"Not. Helping." the Son retorted, sounding rather annoyed. "Listen. Inside this construct, will is power. Focus. You know what needs to be done."

"I suppose I do." Atreus said with a nod, calling upon the blade once again with gritted teeth. "A knight's duty. To strike down evil."

As soon as he finished uttering those words, another bout of dizziness threatened to overwhelm him and the sword nearly fell out of the construct's hand.

"Focus, boy!" the Father chided.

"What… are you doing to me?" Atreus hissed, beginning to grow alarmed by the strange episodes.

"You are doing it to yourself." the Son said. "Focus on your breathing. Steady now."

Meanwhile, the battle around them raged on, with the unmanned units and drones still firing indiscriminately while the airborne Pantheon pilots fought back.

The son of Neo Atlantis tried to calm himself and appraise the situation. The two apparent squad leaders did not bother engaging in further conversation, and while they were fighting with the same unnatural prowess as the previous time, there was something off about their movements. Atreus could only surmise that no matter how experienced those soldiers were, the barbarity taking place across the entire city would still affect them to some degree. Pushing those thoughts aside, he gathered his thoughts and charged back into the fray, not daring to slow down for fear of what might happen to the people scurrying to safety on the streets below.

One of the Pantheon machines, finding its flight pack clipped by a burst of fire, lost its balance and tumbled down through the air, before the pilot managed to steady it at the last moment. Though visibly damaged, the pilot returned to the fight, deactivating the flight unit and continuing to fire at the aliens from the ground. One of their compatriots was not so lucky, tumbling down out of control and barely having time to eject before the machine hit the ground.

"Focus on the command units!" Sage reiterated through their shared frequency. "Remember your evasive maneuvers!"

A Pantheon unit exploded under a hail of the aliens' energy projectiles, showering the area in debris. Another was hit in the flight unit, and as it lost power, the pilot steered it into a collision course, ramming the command unit responsible. Both exploded on impact. The pilot inside, another veteran of the Volunteer Navi Corps, found himself whisked out of his body and back inside the home base's computers at Neo Atlantis, where a redhead woman in uniform calmly waited for him to exit the machine's Cyberspace and enter the replacement Copy Bot waiting for him.

As the transfer was completed and the Copy Bot shifted into a larger, burlier form with metallic gray hair, dark brown eyes and a thick jawline to match its occupant and the nanites constructed a matching uniform, the woman glared at him.

"Idiot." she scolded, before walking to the Navi almost twice her height and whacking him on the head with her fist, all the while cast a fulminating glare with her blue eyes.

"Worth it." he retorted with a smug grin, looking rather pleased with himself.

"Sometimes I don't know why I put up with your crap, Craft." she grumbled.

"You know very well that was not what I meant." Sage scolded through the general Pantheon frequency, making sure that everyone was listening. "What are you, five years old?"

"My hand must have slipped." Craft retorted with a smirk.

"Heh. You got guts." Fighter remarked. "I'm gonna need to have a word with you when we get back."

"Don't even think about imitating that stunt." Colbor said to the other units under his command while he continued to engage a particularly annoying unmanned machine that insisted on barring his path to another command unit further ahead.

"_Does this damn thing have an actual pilot, or do the aliens understand the concept of trolling?"_ he fumed inward.

"Quiet in the peanut gallery." Sage grumbled.

"Oh quiet you." Fighter retorted. "Why don't you just go use your totally-not-a-Combattler-ripoff move on that guy over there?"

"_Idiots..."_ Fairy and Phantom thought in unison, rolling their eyes.

Ignoring the remark, Sage gripped the controls. The Great Harpuia turned around in mid-air and darted upwards to assist the other Pantheon units, slicing through two of the unmanned machines along the way.

"Still with us?" Phantom asked as his machine edged closer to the Apotheosis.

"Yes." Atreus simply said as he finished regaining his focus and returned to the fray.

The soldiers tried to wear down another towering alien machine with concentrated fire, but it would not go down as easily as its escorts. In retaliation, the alien brought the massive cannon to bear, and a blast of orange energy rippled through the air with a high-pitched shriek, melting an orange military machine's entire left side. Once again, a nightmarish scream echoed across the battlefield.

Amelia moved in for another strike, trying not to think of the unfortunate soldier, and somehow managed to knock the weapon off the alien's grasp, weakened as it was by the damage to the right hand. She did, however, not expect the retaliation.

"Get… off!" Amelia growled, as the Hoplon delivered a mighty kick and broke free from its left-handed grip. Once she was out of the way, the Great Leviathan charged in with its own spear raised, charging it with energy and engulfing it into an icy blue glow. Fairy struck true and, much to their surprise, the alien leader found their machine suddenly immobilized, with its joints rapidly freezing over.

"Get back." Atreus called out through the communications link, a sudden surge of raw anger flashing through his eyes.

Surprised by the change in his demeanor, Fairy backed away, covering the Hoplon.

"Manhandle my sister, will you?" he growled, glaring daggers at the enemy.

He was not entirely certain of what he was doing, but as he edged closer, a single thought formed in his mind.

"_Burn..."_

Just as it had during its inaugural battle, the construct's right hand began to glow with a golden, flaming energy. The Apotheosis covered the distance in a dash and grabbed the enemy's head. Inexplicably, the surface of the alien machine began to sizzle… and a moment later, the alien inside screamed in pain, his true voice coming across unfiltered by the translator.

"Yes..." the Father growled. "Purge this filth!"

In the circular display inside the cockpit, still unnoticed, a third red orb lit up.

"What are you doing?!" Amelia gasped in horror.

Atreus froze in place, just as horrified, and quickly withdrew the construct's hand. As he did so, he noticed that the touch had burnt an imprint of the hand, branding the alien machine whose pilot was still screaming, sounding like he was in overwhelming agony.

"I don't know what you did..." the pilot of the red military robot remarked over an open channel. "But it's probably best to put him out of his misery."

With that, the red robot jumped, firing off its boosters. Guessing that the alien machine's cockpit was mounted in the head, the man fired both Kinetic Strike Modules simultaneously, crushing it between a pair of giant metal fists. That finally put a stop to the screams.

"_W__hat have I done?!__"_ Atreus thought.

The Guardians exchanged silent glances from inside their respective machines.

"_This isn't good..." _Sage thought.

"_What a sinister ability..."_ Phantom mused. _"That machine may wrap itself in light but..."_

Their musings were interrupted as one of the military machines, painted gunmetal gray, was struck by a rocket from an unmanned unit, shredding the plating on a portion of its front and sending it on a spin. While the rockets mounted on their backs and feet were capable of propelling them back and forth from their carrier, it was clear that they had not been designed with sustained flight in mind, as the soldiers had kept their fighting to ground level so far. The pilot tried to fire said rockets in short bursts in order to steady the machine, but instead it careened further out of control and plowed into what looked like an old church.

From another section of the city, a trio or armored alien machines stepped in, two toting rifles and one a grenade launcher.

Though they were still communicating mostly through their own radio channels, and thus the reactions of the pilots could not be heard, one of the military units with a striped yellow paint job began to move erratically, suggesting that the pilot had panicked. Another one, painted teal, attempted to provide cover, but was a split second too slow and instead the soldier inside was forced to watch their colleague fall under a barrage of fire.

A third pilot watched the exchange from a distance and had a different reaction. On an open radio channel, the voice of a woman let out a vicious growl, and her metallic gray robot in urban camouflage paint rushed the aliens, unloading the entire contents of its auto-cannon on the pair of armored machines that had fired on the hapless soldier. Discarding the unloaded weapon, the woman then fired both Kinetic Strike Modules, crushing one of the armored machines between the charged fists. The other alien, however, seized the opportunity to draw some sort of bladed weapon resembling an army knife. The blade heated up with a red glow and the alien plunged it into the side of the soldier's machine.

Just before the tip could breach the cockpit, however, someone tossed a grenade and then detonated it in mid-air with an impossibly accurate shot, blowing off the alien robot's head and the pilot inside. The soldier inside the white robot lowered his machine's auto-cannon and reached for the radio controls.

"Your machine is in no condition to fight. Fall back."

"Sorry Sir..." the woman said. "Tunnel vision. Give the bastards hell for the rest of us."

With that, the damaged unit withdrew. The pilot of the white robot watched just long to make sure it completed its retreat safely, momentarily letting his guard down. This might have been a costly mistake, if his companion in the red machine had not snapped to action immediately, shredding the would-be assailant before the alien could finish taking aim.

"Wake up Ray!" the pilot of the red machine admonished.

"Thanks for the save."

"If you get show down by those hapless fools, I will go to the infirmary to laugh at you."

Then it was the pilot of the white unit to shoot down an assailant taking aim at his companion.

"Right back at you Cas." he retorted.

The Morskoy Lev finally got in deployment range, coming in through the mouth of the river bordering the southern end of the city and with all the pilots already waiting inside their machines it was a simple matter to fire the deployment tubes.

"The cavalry's here!" Dex announced as the Robot Masters finally arrived on the scene, once again propelled like torpedoes.

Meanwhile, Laika moved into position, steering the Seeker to a spot where it could do what it did best.

"More of those blasted buzzards..." Aya hissed, glancing at the sky.

Certain that the alien machines flying overhead were unmanned and that she could go all out on them, Maria proceeded to do some pest control, dispensing Gemini Beams on any that got in range, while NumberMan assisted with the targeting.

"_I don't want to kill anyone..."_ she thought. _"But I'll still do my best."_

The Seeker's rifle announced the demise of another command unit, whose head burst like a firecracker.

"Ah!" Maria cried out in a start, still unused to the sound. Quickly regaining her composure, however, she continued to dispense punishment.

Hoping to clear the skies a bit as well, Shingo started aiming Drill Missiles while the X-1 and the Guts Machine took the lead as was becoming a habit.

"Looks like you took care of most of them without us." Raito said with an appreciative nod.

"Yeah..." Atreus said, uncharacteristically flat.

"You OK?" Maito asked, looking at his face on the screen. "You're looking pretty ragged in there."

"I… don't know..."

"Take a breather if you need." Fairy chimed in with a stern look.

"Not until this is over." Atreus retorted.

"_He's as stubborn as his parents..."_ Fairy thought, silently deciding to watch him more closely.

The nearly identical cousins exchanged glances.

"Ready for a repeat performance?" Raito asked with a mischievous grin.

"Assuming direct control!" Maito retorted, once again unleashing his abilities and wreaking havoc on the nearby unmanned units, turning them against each other. He abruptly paused, however, looking a little out of breath.

"You OK?" Raito asked.

"Definitely more them than last time… I don't know how many I can mess with or for how long."

"Hold it as long as you can, then crash them into each other?" Shingo suggested.

"Might as well live up to the nickname." Maito scoffed as he focused his will once again. Though frustrated at the sheer number of unmanned units buzzing around, he was determined to divert as many as he could.

In the skies above, the Pantheon units definitely felt the pressure dropping as a good portion of the unmanned units turned on each other, leaving them free to pursue the real targets of importance below.

"We definitely need to incorporate some of those cyberwarfare capabilities in our loadout..." Colbor mused as he watched from above.

"We're working on it." Phantom chimed in. "For now, focus on completing the mission… and staying in one piece."

"Second wave approaching!" Kalinka warned through the radio as she monitored the Morskoy Lev's sensor readouts from the captain's chair.

As if on cue, with a thunderous crack, the Seeker removed another command unit's head with a precision shot.

A few of the enemy reinforcements had the misfortune of flying too close to the submarine, and Kalinka seized the opportunity.

"AA batteries, light them up!" she commanded.

"Da!" Alyona retorted, taking manual control of the turrets concealed along the length of the submarine carrier.

A series of articulated gray metal tubes emerged from concealed slits in the hull and quickly turned the skies above into an impromptu fireworks display. The unmanned units, lacking any sense of self-preservation, simply tried to push ahead only to end up shredded. The actually manned ones were either shot down or took heavy damage in the ensuing barrage. However, more of the aliens were approaching the combat zone directly from above.

"I knew it!" Kalinka growled. "Those bastards are making orbital drops!"

"Going dark." Phantom hissed, as his machine disappeared from the visible spectrum.

Another specimen of the new model of alien machine took to the field, carrying a beam cannon identical to its predecessor's and with three armored units as escorts. Again the beam cannon left its mark, tearing through two of the military machines, defacing the front of a white marble building that had been repurposed as an art museum and scorching a diagonal line along the Guts Machine's chest plating.

"Son of a…!" Dex hissed. "We just finished fixin' that!"

Meanwhile, on the X-1's cockpit, two words appeared on the display dedicated to the Variable Weapons System.

**WEAPON ACQUIRED**

The two cousins exchanged glances and grinned.

"Try some of your own medicine!" Raito hissed as he reached for the Variable Weapons System's controls and selected the new weapon.

"Thermal Lance Beam ready." Maito confirmed, beating him to the punch.

The X-1's right arm Buster began to hum and an orange beam identical to that of the original weapon burst forth from it with the same high-pitched shriek, punching a large hole in the alien robot's abdomen.

"Have one on the house!" Aya added, the Spark Machine already firing up its capacitors. "SPARK SHOCK!"

The burst of electricity tore through the exposed components, reducing the armored unit to a very expensive paperweight.

"And now… the finishing blow!" GutsMan proclaimed, the machine bearing his name already charging in. "SHORYUKEN!"

The Great Phantom emerged from stealth behind the larger machine just long enough to jab a pair of explosive kunai on the back of its neck, then vanished again. The two burst less than a second later, tearing a gash in its back from which what looked like black hydraulic fluid started leaking, definitely killing any chance of it escaping. The Guts Machine's fist connected, striking under where a human's chin would be located, and the head of the robot was violently jerked back. Under the full weight of the blow, the alien robot was physically knocked off the ground before falling back down and inelegantly falling over.

"KO!" Chisao announced.

* * *

Meanwhile...

Lunnen, the Jewel of Albion. With centuries of history, each corner of the metropolis had a story of its own to tell. The Greater Roman Empire of old had never succeeded in completely subjugating the islands, and after the legions had been driven off once and for all, the city had retaken its ancestral name. In the following centuries, the shifting nations of the islands had joined and separated time and again, banding together to fend off invaders from other shores when needed, only to go back to an uneasy coexistence and eventual conflicts between neighboring realms. Eventually, the islands had been mostly unified, bringing about an age of expansion and an imperial age of their own… but that had eventually faded centuries later.

On the eve of the Reordering, the islands had been split between a series of small kingdoms and republics. It had been the then Princess Pride's wish to preserve her homeland in the face of its more powerful neighbors that had eventually drawn her into the criminal organization Gospel's fold, and in turn, this event had been the catalyst for the current state of the islands. Her parents had done much of the groundwork before stepping down, negotiating terms and establishing alliances and swaying public opinion, assisted by the eventually famous Rogue Consort and others sympathetic to the cause of unification. At her coronation, she had received a gift far greater than she could have ever wished for – a crown worthy not of a queen, but rather an empress.

The city had taken its fair share of damage during the latest alien incursion, but its towers and libraries, its cathedrals and palaces, its theaters and museums, were still intact. The Sigma Uprising had instilled a healthy dose of precaution on the monarch and her consort, and they had taken precautions, reinforcing structures, setting up barriers and bolstering their defenses. It was paying off. The fact that a certain secret organization had one of its facilities conveniently hidden underneath a movie studio not that far from Lunnen had definitely helped as well.

As he walked through the ancient palace's hallways with his son, Sean pondered recent events and what was yet to come.

"You're going, aren't you?" he asked as he turned to Alexander, his tone suggesting that he already knew the answer.

"How could I not?" Alexander asked in turn with a scowl. "Those mongrels are making a bloody mess of things down south. The Iberians have always had heart but they're going to need all the help they can get."

"Yes…" Sean said with a nod. "If the circumstances were different, I might try to talk you into staying home, or insist on going in your place. I guess part of me has always known that you're meant for great things."

"Besides..." Alexander asked with a smile. "It's about time we showed the world that the Hikari family don't have the exclusive on saving it."

Sean knew that his boy, though good-natured, had a good head on his shoulders, and that his attempt to make light of the situation was his way of coping with it, so he played along.

"Not to mention you can't wait to show off." he retorted with an amused smirk. "You do know we reinforced the outer doors last month, right? The aliens are enough. We don't need to have the palace besieged by rabid women as well."

The prince grinned sheepishly, all too aware of the unwanted attention his nigh unnatural good looks tended to earn him.

"I'll manage somehow." the prince said with a shrug. "Last case scenario, I can always try to channel Grandma, start swinging a claymore around and deafen everyone with the bagpipes. That would scare them off, I think."

"If my mother were still alive, she'd be proud of you." Sean remarked with a smile. "I wish I'd had the chance to spend more time with her."

Having lost both his parents at a very early age to an act of cyberterrorism that had crashed their plane, Sean had suffered tremendously in his youth. Years later, with his painful past behind him, he had by complete chance encountered old friends of theirs, and finally learned more of his ancestry – including the fact that his mother had hailed from the Highlands, and that her strong personality had definitely been passed along to him to some extent. His father, a timid Far Eastern businessman, had been utterly smitten by her during a tip to her hometown, and things had quickly escalated from there.

"I'm sure she would have loved to meet you." Sean added. "I was too young when she was taken from me, but I still have those old pictures. Sometimes the look on your face reminds me of them."

As the former head of Gospel, Sean still relished the irony of his new occupation, privately joking about it all being part of his master plan. Truth be told, to him the true prize was not a crown of any sort, but rather the one wearing it – and the family that had eventually followed. The skills he had acquired during his darker days had turned out to be surprisingly useful for the new purpose of safeguarding his new place in the world.

"I'll be sure to give those uilebheistean a good thrashing on Grams' behalf too." the prince said, earning an amused grin from his father, who had taken to learning the ancestral language of his mother's homeland after discovering his roots twenty years prior.

Meanwhile, in the royal conference room…

"What exactly are you hoping to accomplish with this, Commander?" the Queen asked with an annoyed scowl as she gazed upon the screen before her.

"I am aware that you have personal connections to some of them." the voice on the other side replied, impossibly – almost infuriatingly – calm. "However, I have my own way of doing things."

"If you've changed your mind about approaching them, then why not ask me to introduce you?" she asked pointedly. "Why this smoke and mirrors act?"

"Because the operational safety of this organization also relies on its existence being kept a secret."

"When you have your MEC Troopers traipsing around half the world and getting caught on camera?" the Queen retorted, rolling her eyes. "Oh please. Are you forgetting who you're speaking to? You could be honest and just admit that you like acting mysterious."

"I was also gauging their reactions to this. Evaluating how they would act when placed on the back foot."

"Bollocks." the Queen snapped. "I have not mentioned anything about your group yet because I did not want you getting in each other's way… and because as a head of state I cannot make this decision lightly. Play your games if you must, but if your antics endanger them or my son..."

"They will not. You have my word on this matter."

"Remember, I will be watching." she said.

With that, she ended the call. On the other side of the line, the Major stood by, watching the exchange.

"Quite a formidable lady, is she not?" he remarked with a smirk. "But I think they are not the only ones still on the back foot."

"Keeping a low profile was so much easier back in the day without all these giant robots running around..." the Commander lamented with a sigh. "A pity we lack the resources to equip all the MECs and Skyrangers with the same stealth module as the Gespenst."

"The elerium or lack thereof is the least of our concerns." the Major mused. "If only we had a way of transporting materials in large quantities from out there…"

"Ah, Chilong… what I wouldn't give for another Operation Slingshot." the Commander mused. "Then again, it's a good thing THEY haven't shown up here."

"Chilong?" the Major asked, looking a little confused.

* * *

Back in Olisipo...

As the fighting took them to another section of the riverside and in front of an old, large monastery built out of stone and carved in elaborate patterns imitating masts, robes and other nautical elements, Raito ran into a sight that made his heart sink.

Standing on the ruined sidewalk by the ancient structure, a small dark haired girl in a red dress shouted at a group of unmanned alien machines, completely indifferent to the danger.

"Filhos da puta!" she screamed in a blind fury with tears in her eyes as she threw another stone at one of the alien machines with surprising strength for her size. "Mataram o meu cão!"

Though Raito could not understand the language, her fury and despair were evident as she tore loose cobblestones off the sidewalk and hurled them at the aliens. Behind her, the front of the monastery was partially collapsed, seemingly struck by a stray projectile.

"Get out of there girl..." Raito hissed to himself before rushing the humanoid machines, routing them with a fury of his own. Maria and Shingo joined in. At the same time, the Great Phantom kept darting from target to target, picking off enemies with its blade and trying to keep the area around them clear.

One of the lower tier units, seemingly manned, got too close to the Drill Machine and earned itself a punch to the torso, followed by a Gemini Beam to the head. Quickly changing their mind, the alien pilot tried to back away, only to be gunned down by one of the soldiers. Letting out a sigh of relief, Shingo glanced at his sister's face on the monitors. As he saw her face, calm and controlled despite the circumstances, the skinny boy with self-worth issues couldn't help feeling proud of her once again for willingly stepping into such a situation without faltering.

Without a word, Maria pushed a button on the controls and the Gemini Machine started shimmering. An instant later, Raito and Shingo watched in disbelief… as there suddenly appeared to be two Gemini Machines, standing next to each other.

"What…?" Raito muttered.

"Hard light construct." Maria explained. "It can't use beams and it won't last very long, but it's still enough to do this!"

With that, the shimmering construct interposed itself between the small girl and the would-be assailants, standing as a bulwark. One of the lower tier alien machines was actually manned, and the pilot decided to try their luck, but was quickly put in their place by a well-aimed punch from the replica, followed by a Gemini Beam from the real thing that ruined its right arm.

"Stand down." she hissed. "I will not warn you again!"

Choosing discretion over valor, the alien tried to flee.

"Oh no you don't!" Shingo growled. "DRILL MISSILE!"

The Drill Machine's right arm transformed into a cannon and a rocket propelled drill burst out of it. With a sudden burst of speed, it tore through the alien machine's right leg, almost ripping it off entirely.

"Picking on little girls on foot..." Shingo spat as the Drill Machine reached over its shoulder. "You disgust me."

"BOOST KNUCKLE!" he cried out before the Drill Machine's left forearm shot out, once again equipped with the shoulder mounted drill, smashing through his opponent's lower torso and breaking it off entirely. Feeling a sudden irritation in his throat, he coughed loudly.

Another unmanned unit came into view out of nowhere, only to find itself sandwiched between a double punch from the Gemini Machine and its double.

"Not everyone is able to control two machines at the same time." Shingo remarked, his voice cracking slightly from the strain of excessive screaming.

"I'm much like Raito and Maito." Maria said. "I don't like fighting, but since I'm here, I'm bringing all the tricks I can muster."

"Show me." Shingo said encouragingly, once again beaming with pride. "Show me what you can do Sis!"

An armored unit stepped in range, pointing a grenade launcher right at them. After a brief hum, the X-1 fired its newly acquired weapon again, tearing into it and then cutting a swathe through the unmanned units in the vicinity.

"Watch it!" Maito cautioned, pointing at the gauge on the display. "That thing uses up a lot of energy!"

The Great Phantom briefly flickered out of stealth, severing the neck of an armored unit with a long black blade before vanishing again.

**WEAPON ACQUIRED**

"Score!" Raito remarked, watching the display.

Moments later, with the assailants reduced to scrap, a high pitched bark was heard in the suddenly silent scene and a scruffy dark furred dog scurried out from under a small pile of rubble, miraculously unharmed. The girl turned and gasped, hugging the dog in another bout of tears.

Not far from their position, the Guts Brothers had finally tracked down another of the command units responsible for keeping the buzzards buzzing overhead.

"I'm gonna make this simple." Dex growled. "I'm gonna smash your toy, so you get out of it now, or you get smashed with it."

"Don't waste time bantering with these monsters." Chisao chided.

The Guts Machine charged at its opponent and clenched its right fist.

"MEGATON PUNCH!" GutsMan roared, before unleashing a downward blow that hit the target so hard it seemed to physically bounce against the pavement below before falling off its feet.

Leading the remaining military machines, the red and white robots streaked past them on their rocket boosters. Most of their companions were damaged to varying degrees, but the two seemed to have somehow evaded almost everything thrown their way, looking a little dented and scorched here and there, but mostly intact.

"There..." the man in the red machine said, raising his weapon.

"I see it!" his compatriot replied.

In the distance, a command unit's head glimmered as a beam of sunlight broke through the clouds, almost beyond what Raito could see with the naked eye. Much to his surprise, the two soldiers each fired a single shot from their oversized weapons, one hitting the head and the other the chest.

"How the hell are those two pulling off precision shots with auto-cannons?!" he shouted incredulously.

"I would very much like to know myself." Laika chimed in before taking off the head of another command unit in a thunderous blast. Though he wouldn't openly admit it, he was feeling somewhat vexed at the display.

Meanwhile, the Great Phantom continued stalking the battlefield, using its stealth capabilities to great effect and frustrating one of the aliens piloting the command units to the point of recklessness. Increasingly irritated, the alien broke cover and started firing erratically with its assault rifle analog. With a smirk, Phantom moved in to strike, severing the connectors in the machine's neck and leaving it immobilized.

"_About time we get to interrogate one of these." _he thought, rather unnerved by the reports he had been receiving of the number of live aliens the covert military outfit had been capturing.

Another new model of alien machine, similar to the previous, came into view, flanked by four armored escorts. The main differences were that it stood taller than its predecessors, its head sported a bulkier, horned design, the shoulderpads were thicker and instead of the shoulder cannons it was instead equipped with a strange metallic back ornament, shaped like a circle with eight massive, jagged spikes each pointing out in one direction. Having dealt with most of their other opponents, the rest of the Robot Masters and the soldiers began to converge on its location.

"There you are… Machine Soul!" a voice hissed at the sight of the X-1, its hatred and contempt seeping even through the translator's robotic intonation.

"Excuse you?!" Maito retorted.

"Now there's no doubt about what you are." the voice snarled. "This was not part of the original plan, but now we see that this backwater world is tainted by your kind."

"Who the hell are you calling a taint, you taint?!" Fighter growled. "Up yours, asshole!"

"Let this city be an example." the alien proclaimed rather smugly. "This infection must be purged before this world can be of any use."

"How dare you?!" Aya snarled, feeling a sudden bout of fury overtaking her as well.

"Why are you doing this?!" Maito demanded.

"Your kind will damn this world and the rest of the galaxy." the alien snarled. "You machines thinking yourselves people..."

Something about that remark wounded Maito, evoking the stories his family had told him of the Sigma uprising – specifically the malignant AI and the mindless robots rampaging through the streets. The normally calm boy clenched his fists and let out a growl of his own.

"SHUT UP!" Maito shouted, as the X-1 broke into a sprint.

"I'm not a robot!" he roared as he raised the X-1's right fist and slammed it into the alien machine's face.

"I'm not a machine!" he roared again as he brought the left fist to bear.

Throughout his sixteen years of life, Raito had never seen his nearly identical cousin so furious and hurt. The two were practically like brothers, and soon he found himself feeling the same anger.

Behind them, the Spark Machine started hissing as energy crackled through its capacitors.

"He is not a machine, you insufferable pile of excrement!" Aya growled, her face twisted by anger and her eyes looking like they were about to bulge out of their sockets. "He is our friend. And together, we will wipe out your filth!"

A tremendous burst of electricity shot out of the Spark Machine, directly into the clouds above. Aya clawed her fingers around the controls and shouted.

"THUNDER BREAK!"

From the clouds, the already massive burst returned, somehow amplified several times over, coming down upon the alien machine's head, immobilizing it in place with a sizzling noise and the stench of melted plastic.

"Don't listen to that asshole." Raito growled, clenching his teeth as he reached for the controls of the Variable Weapons System.

"You mongrels hardly have room to talk about doom when you are doing all of this!" Atreus growled, before firing a beam of the searing golden energy from his construct's right hand… which impacted the ground in front of the intended target.

"_Damnit..."_ he thought in annoyance. _"Still can't shoot worth a damn."_

"We've got this." Raito said, taking point once again.

The latest addition to the X-1's arsenal was still untested and he had been saving it for an emergency, but the sheer gall of the alien to spout such nonsense after the way his kind had appeared on Earth unbidden and started shooting everything in sight meant the gloves were off.

Raito pushed the button and the X-1's arm transformed once again into its Buster form.

"BUSTER MISSILE!" Raito cried out before slamming the trigger.

After the struggle against the armored units in Albion, Lan and Hub had taken precautions and the alien leader's choice of words had just earned him the dubious honor of being the first test subject of their latest development. As a compact gunmetal gray rocket with a warhead as dense as one of the Seeker's bullets barreled out of the Buster, the bulkier armored machine tried to move out of the way, but was too slow, especially after being blasted by the Spark Machine. The armor piercing projectile tore through the plating of the alien robot's head as if it were made of paper.

In a moment of clarity, Maito recoiled in horror.

"Did we just…?!"

As soon as the flash of the explosion dissipated, he had his answer.

"Stupid machine!" the alien snarled. "Did you think all our armaments would have their cockpits in the same spot?"

With that, the alien unleashed a barrage of orange energy beams from its strange back ornament, which raked the battlefield in all directions. The Robot Masters tried to move out of the way, but the X-1's left shoulder and the Drill Machine's right leg were clipped, along with one of the large needle-like protrusions on the Spark Machine's back. Reacting on instinct, Maria raised the Gemini Machine's hands, projecting a wall of what looked like solid light.

"Get behind me." Maria called out, surprisingly calm given the circumstances as she moved the Gemini Machine to shield the X-1.

A nearby military machine, painted yellow, raised its oversized weapon at the new opponent.

"95%..." the pilot inside muttered, adjusting the targeting system with a grin. "Let's do this!"

Encouraged by those odds, the soldier opened fire… and missed in a rather spectacular fashion, spraying bullets in a completely unrelated direction.

"Bullshit!" the soldier hissed, punching the console in front of them. The weapon continued firing erratically, to the point where some of its companions had to duck out of the way.

"Get your finger off the trigger and get back in formation!" the pilot in the red unit commanded, ducking out of the way of a haphazard burst.

The clumsy pilot finally released the trigger and, in a fit of frustration, threw the bulky weapon to the ground before doing as instructed.

"Personally, I'm glad the kids missed." GutsMan cut in as the Guts Machine started cracking its knuckles and menacingly stepping forward in a slow, deliberate pace.

"That means we get to toast your ass and they get to keep their hands clean!" Chisao added.

"Guys, no offense, but I don't think those Rocket Punches of yours are going to dent that." Maria pointed out.

"Good thing our old pals managed to figure out what was keeping a certain system from working then." Chisao said.

"And now!" Dex shouted. "Get a load of this!"

In the Guts Machine's cockpit, a pair of handlebars popped up to each of the pilot seats and the Guts Brothers grabbed hold.

"_Hope this works… or we could fry half the electronics."_ Chisao thought as he began to focus.

"What are you doing?" Raito asked as the Guts Machine shifted into a strange stance, bending its right knee, planting its right foot forward on the ground, then clawing its fingers and cupping its hands facing each other on the right side of the body.

"Just watch." Dex said, for a moment sounding like a giddy child. Then, inside the cockpit, all three pairs of hands started glowing with a strange, burning blue light that then flowed through the handlebars.

"I've seen this before!" Maito realized, before turning to the communications console. "You guys may want to back off a little bit."

"What?" Aya asked.

Not bothering to argue, having seen his fair share of strange things by this point, Shingo moved the Drill Machine to shield the Gemini Machine from any enemy sneak attacks and then watched, eager to see what would happen next.

"Hey!" Dex shouted. "Alien scum! Chew on this!"

Suddenly, the Guts Machine's hands ignited with a blue flame, which soon took a round shape around them. The gigantic, almost apelike robot then thrust both palms forward and the three brothers roared in unison.

"HADOUKEN!"

A massive blast of the strange flaming blue energy barreled forward, with an imprint of the Guts Machine's hands in its core.

"Koji Kabuto, eat yer heart out!" Dex bragged with a wide grin.

"_Are those three… even human?"_ Shingo thought, his eyes wide as dinner plates. _"I mean, I know GutsMan is synthetic, but… what the hell was that?"_

Struck by the attack, the alien machine almost seemed to catch fire as the blow first ripped through its chest and then the remaining energy engulfed it entirely.

"Whatever happens next..." the alien hissed as his robot began to be torn apart by explosions. "It'll be your fault for tainting this world with your presence. Remember this, machines."

"Shut up already!" Fighter cut in, firing both of the Great Fefnir's oversized cannons at him.

As the apparent leader of the incursion was consumed in the ensuing blaze, it looked like the fighting was finally subsiding for the most part. However, their tribulations for the day were not over yet.

"We have a problem..." Laika chimed in through the radio.

"Meaning?" Raito asked.

"The air force stuffed a plane with civilians in an attempt to evacuate them from here." Laika explained. "It should be coming into your sensor range soon… and the aliens have noticed."

"Shit..." Raito hissed.

"Quite." Laika said. "Keep an eye out for it. According to the information I got, there are about two hundred people inside."

Moments later, a bulky, old-fashioned and rather massive jet liner came into view, with a veritable swarm of unmanned units and fighter equivalents in hot pursuit.

Fresh from tearing a command unit apart, Atreus jumped into the fray, willing his construct to shield the transport plane.

"Are you going to stop holding back now?" the Father asked with a scoff.

"Just watch." Atreus hissed, trying to ignore the growing annoyance towards the strange entity.

For a brief moment, he was assaulted by mental images of what might happen if he were too late or his shields faltered, but forcing them out of his mind, he focused on the task at hand and interposed his construct between the fleeing craft and its pursuers.

The Aura Barrier, completely recharged, suddenly flared back into the visible spectrum, and then expanded until it had effectively formed a wall to shield the craft. Gritting his teeth, Atreus powered all his will into holding it up as the gathered alien machines started unloading a barrage of projectiles and beams onto it.

"How is he doing that?" Maria wondered.

"Dunno…" Raito replied. "But we'd better not just stand around watching!"

Knowing what might happen if a single shot got through, Atreus racked his mind to keep the barrier up while compensating for the plane's trajectory and speed. The long hours he had spent studying physics did little to prepare him for a situation where he had no time to take rigorous measures, but he still somehow managed to last long enough for the others to assist.

So focused were the invaders on what was in front of them that they overlooked their flanks, receiving a double dose of punishment from the X-1 on one side and the Gemini Machine on the other. Once again the X-1 fired the orange energy beam, cutting a swathe through the pursuers, but a warning message appeared on the display.

"Out of energy?!" Raito protested.

"Back to the Buster it is..." Maito grumbled before switching back to rapid fire Buster shots.

The Great Fefnir and Great Leviathan moved in to deal with the rest, while the Great Harpuia darted ahead of them and cut down a few more opponents in its path.

"Damned buzzards..." Sage hissed.

Meanwhile, Aya caught up with them and proceeded to provide her contribution, firing up her machine's capacitors once again.

"THUNDER..."

The Spark Machine sizzled and the broken needle let out a loud popping noise, nearly making her flinch, but she was still able to finish.

"BREAK!"

The sky in front of the Apotheosis turned into a veritable death field as another massive burst of lightning shot upwards from the Spark Machine, into the clouds, and then back down at them.

"_I'm… probably not doing that again for now."_ she thought with a concerned frown as she checked the Spark Machine's readouts.

With the danger gone, Atreus could finally exhale, realizing he'd been holding his breath the entire time. As the plane cleared the area and he was finally allowed to lower his barrier, he let out a sigh of relief, and then felt a momentary dizziness as fatigue took its toll.

As he closed his eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to center himself, he heard a strange sound seemingly out of nowhere, similar to an electromagnetic capacitor discharge, followed by muffled cries of pain. A moment later, he then heard a voice in the back of his mind… which felt eerily familiar.

"_I wasn't much of a shield last time..."_

This, more than the rest of the apparent auditory hallucination, definitely unsettled him, though he could not tell why. He quickly opened his eyes and looked around, but could neither see nor hear anything out of the ordinary. He shook his head in an attempt to wake himself up again and then mentally took a note to get something to eat as soon as he landed before opening a communications link to the others.

"Nice shooting." he said with a tired smile. "I don't know how long I could have held that up."

"Long enough, apparently." Maria said with an appreciative nod. "Just what is that thing made of?"

"I still have no clue." he admitted with a shrug.

Then, he heard another voice, different from the previous.

"_The safest place… is behind you."_

Even more confused, he glanced around nervously.

"_That… sounded like a woman's voice. What's happening to me?"_

This had easily been the longest battle any of the young pilots had endured to date. Though they were victorious, they were also completely exhausted.

Moments later...

"Not good enough..." Atreus lamented with a sigh as he beheld the smoldering remains of the ancient city.

"Brother?" Amelia asked, moving the Hoplon closer.

"Not… good… enough..." he repeated, clenching his fists. "All these people… all these centuries of history… gone."

"And now you are beginning to understand your limitations." the Father said humorlessly.

"Rub it in, why don't you?!" Atreus snapped, out of patience for the incorporeal entity's antics.

"You do not understand child." the Father said. "You are still young. It will get even worse."

"You are not helping." the Son intervened. "Listen. We understand your feelings. We have faced our own share of loss over our time in this world. You will need to be strong, but remember that you are not alone in this."

"And the true potential of this machine is yet untapped." the Father added. "As is yours. Etch these indignities upon your memory, boy. One day, they will be avenged sevenfold."

"Hey!" Raito's voice cut in as the X-1 stepped closer. "You OK there?"

"Nothing more we can do for now." Maito added. "Let's get out of here and get some re-"

"Not yet." Atreus interrupted, before the construct began to carefully dig through the rubble of the nearest building. "I need to be sure that we've saved everyone we possibly could."

"Fair enough." Raito said. "In that case, we're staying too."

As they looked around, they noticed that the remaining military robots still able to move had not withdrawn, but were instead doing the same thing.

"Kid..." Fighter said, turning his machine's head to face the X-1.

"Y-Yeah?" Maito asked, still a little shaken.

"Don't let any fucktard tell you that you're less than anyone else just cuz your body is synthetic, you hear me?"

"R-Right."

"I don't care what anyone says." Fighter added. "A lot of people lived today because of what you did here. That makes you a hero in my book."

In the distance, a smaller but heavily armored machine of obviously alien design watched, having stayed perfectly still during the entire battle. It stood about as tall as the X-1, with extra thick plating fashioned from the same gray-blush alloy covering its chest, shoulders and lower legs and a helmeted head with a mask and a dark yellow visor.

"My lord… it is as we feared." a woman's voice said in her native language.

"Those fools..." a man's voice replied with a heavy sigh.

"Your orders, my lord?"

"Avoid contact with both sides for now. Keep monitoring the situation. I may have to intervene sooner than planned."

"Understood."

And with that, the machine took off and flew away, without any visible propulsion source.

* * *

Meanwhile, just off the coast…

The Seeker dragged the smaller, frankly ugly machine out of the water before setting it down on the Morskoy Lev's flight deck on its side, as one would with an actual drowning human.

To Laika's surprise, as soon as he had finished setting it down, a hatch concealed in the back opened, and water came gushing out of the partially flooded cockpit, followed by a small fish that quickly hopped over the edge and back into the sea… and a man, wearing a strange piloting suit made of some sort of bluish-gray synthetic material covering his body from the neck down, with a thick breastplate and shoulderpads. A strange hood, made of the same material, seemed to cover his cheeks and the back of his head, circling around his forehead but leaving the crown of the head exposed, with his blond hair sticking out in a flat top cut that almost made him look like a broom with arms and legs.

Though the machine and especially the suit were bizarre, the pilot's face, despite the swollen brow and obvious signs of fatigue, looked remarkably familiar.

"Alexei Gagarin?!" Laika called out. "Is that you?"

"Of all the people to run into at a time like this..." the man said, looking back at him with green eyes, slightly bloodshot from exhaustion, framed by a thin face, especially around the cheeks, and a jaw sporting quite a bit of stubble, as though he had not had time to do his personal grooming in a few days.

"What the hell? I thought you were in Siberia training cadets."

"No..." the man said, shaking his head. "I was doing something… far more important."

He then looked around warily.

"Do you mind if we continue this conversation below decks? As much as I hate to impose, I need your help… discreetly."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Laika asked in mock outrage. "To a brother-in-arms, my house is your house. Get your ass inside."

Laika then softened up and grinned.

"Just try not to drink all the vodka like last time."

"Hell no!" Alexei replied with a hearty laugh. "I'm not a cadet anymore. I don't think I'd survive the hangover."

A few minutes later, on the captain's quarters…

"So…" Laika said as he sat down on a large leather sofa next to his guest. "What exactly have you been up to?"

"I think you can guess." Alexei said. "You've probably seen machines of the same model here and there… while you were carrying those children around."

"I might." Laika said as he picked up a glass bottle filled with a clear liquid and poured its contents into two tiny glasses. "But what do you have to do with that? Are you one of them, whoever they are?"

He then walked up to his guest, one glass in each hand and handed him one.

"You could say that." Alexei said as he reached into a pocket and pulled out a strange insignia Laika had never seen before – a blue elongated pentagon with the longer sides pointing downwards, depicting the top portion of a globe crisscrossed by parallel and meridian lines with three stars in a triangle above it. Atop the emblem were two words, like a motto – Vigilo Confido.

"So all this time I thought you were freezing your ass off in Siberia, you were hunting down that alien trash." Laika said in mock outrage before downing his glass in one gulp. "I'm offended. Why didn't you tell me anything?"

"I wanted to." Alexei said with a regretful look as he took a light sip from his own glass. "But the ones pulling the strings in the army thought you were too high profile for this. This was supposed to be a covert outfit. If you disappeared all of a sudden that would raise too many questions. If you were spotted on the field, that would raise too many questions as well. If you got killed out there..."

Laika grumbled. He had never wanted any special treatment for himself, but having a wife and daughter had changed his perspective on certain things. While he would have once thought nothing of risking his life as a soldier, the notion of leaving them on their own in the world pained him more than any injury he had ever taken in the line of duty.

"What do you need?" Laika asked, shoving such thoughts aside.

"My radio is busted. I need your help contacting my base for pickup." Alexei said. "And hiding my machine until they come get me. It may be ugly as sin, but it's still classified technology… and a loyal companion."

"Just what is that thing anyway?"

"This is all top secret, but if I can't trust you, then who can I?" Alexei mused. "We call these Mechanical Exoskeleton Combat armatures. Yes, stop smirking. This model is the MEC-1… Warden."

"Warden of what?" Laika remarked. "The gates of hell? Because that's what it's stating to look like out there – like hell is breaking loose."

"Believe me, it would be even worse if this organization wasn't around."

"Seeing how your new buddies have been showing up all over the place..."

"Most military aren't equipped to deal with this kind of shit… so half the nations of the world have a stake in this, directly under the UN's supervision." Alexei said. "They've been handpicking specialists from military and civilian outfits across the world for years, possibly decades. You can see why I couldn't refuse this opportunity."

"How is this possible?" Laika asked. "UN or not, a bunch of unidentified armed machines showing up like this would likely get shot at along with the aliens. The Robot Masters only get around as freely as they do because everybody still remembers Lan Hikari."

"I know that at least some of the people in charge have the authority to override orders to local military forces… you know, to keep them from doing anything stupid."

"That would explain a few things..." Laika pondered, recalling what Atreus had described at Nova Vinea. "But what about that weird black machine that's been popping around? It looks different from the others."

"You mean the Gespenst? I don't know that much about it. For now we only have one. I hear the pilot is some crazy guy from Albion. I've never met him in person but rumors say he's a former MI agent."

"Ominous name." Laika pondered. "All of this still feels almost too ridiculous to be true. The evidence is all around us though."

Laika then looked at his guest and tried to suppress a laugh.

"But I must ask. What's with that outfit?"

"Standard issue piloting suit." Alexei said, bumping his fist on the chest plate to emphasize its toughness. "Stronger than Kevlar. And I thought they were kidding when they said it was made of alien alloys."

"So how did you end up in the drink and sharing the cockpit with a fish? Was that another recruit?"

"Got sent in with another squad. Bastards took a potshot at me while I was coming down and got lucky. Clipped one of the thrusters and broke the cockpit's glass as you saw."

* * *

A few hours later, at the Sanctum…

"So they've shown themselves again..." Ciel said.

"Yes, and it looks like they're making quite a name for themselves." Lan said with a smirk from his office as he brought up his PET in front of the camera with a news article on the screen, featuring a picture of the increasingly familiar white and red military robots. "Of course since nobody knows who they are, people are starting to invent their own names for them."

"What's this?" Ciel asked, skimming over a few lines of what looked like an online tabloid. "The White Meteor and the… Red Comet? Who comes up with this stuff?"

"_Those names sound a bit ominous..." _Cadmus thought, though unsure why.

"Looking back, maybe we should have taken additional precautions to protect the children's identities." Hub pondered.

"What's done is done." Lan said with a shrug. "At least we've spared them the silly nicknames."

"That said, we may need to start looking into stepping up their personal security." Cadmus pondered. "Maybe our favorite royal couple can give us some pointers."

"As long as they're with Laika and Kalinka, they're as safe as inside a bank vault." Hub said. "We'll just have to think about what happens after they get back home…"

"I think..." a familiar voice whispered in the Imperative's ear, unheard by the others. "Those alien bastards need to be taught a lesson. Machine Soul, my ass."

Cadmus silently nodded in agreement, unconsciously clenching a fist behind his back.

The door opened and Fairy stepped inside with a frown, glancing at the Imperative.

"A word." she said.

"It's OK." Ciel said. "We're about to wrap things up over here."

Cadmus nodded and followed Fairy outside the chamber.

"Is something wrong?" he asked with a look of concern on his face.

"You damn well know it." she retorted, before letting out a sigh. "Have you had a proper conversation with your boy since he came back? Have you even seen the cockpit footage?"

"I haven't had time to speak with him yet, but I have seen the recordings." Cadmus said with a heavy frown. "Going to him was the next item on the list after this call."

"Something is definitely wrong."

"He's hurting, isn't he?" Cadmus asked with a guilty look on his face.

"He's not just hurting." Fairy retorted. "I got him to open up a bit after we came back. Something about that thing is freaking him out, and not just that little display. He says he's been getting bouts of dizziness. Hearing voices."

"Why didn't he mention any of this to me?" Cadmus asked, visibly upset.

"If I had to guess, he's afraid of disappointing you."

"Am I really that difficult to approach?"

"No, but he's young, sensitive and a big softy who doesn't want to hurt or displease anyone." Fairy pointed out. "Familiar?"

"I could never be disappointed at him." Cadmus said, looking hurt by the mere notion.

"I'm not the one you should be telling that. Either way, there's a lot about that machine we still don't know, and I don't like it. After that last display with the burning hand, maybe we should… reconsider."

"Unfortunately that was the only way, seeing how the Father rejected every other candidate, myself included." Cadmus recalled. "Unnatural state of existence and all that crap. But you're right. I don't like seeing that thing keep goading my boy."

"Then isn't it about time you thought about getting the prototype out of mothballs? It may not be as powerful, but it would definitely be safer."

"Ah… But what would happen then?" Cadmus mused. "What would the Pantheon's Unit Zero do to them instead? Are you prepared to open that particular door?"

"This is definitely not the time for that." Fairy conceded. "But we need alternatives. Can't you just… repaint it or remodel it or something?"

"My hands are still tied with the flight units for the Robot Masters. I'm trying to get it done as soon as possible, and then we can see what to do about that."

"Whatever those two are, I still don't trust them." Fairy remarked. "Especially after this. Maybe we should have left them in that damn cave."

After a few more minutes, Ciel finished the conference call and stepped outside. She found Cadmus waiting for her alone with a pensive look on his face.

"We've been putting this off for way too long." Cadmus said, visibly uncomfortable.

"I know." Ciel said with a nod. "I hate withholding information from the children, but things have just been too hectic for the four of us to sit down and explain things properly."

"Yes… and now I need to talk to our boy. He needs to know that he has our full support, no matter what. His well-being takes priority. The plots of false gods, misguided men and ludicrous machines can wait another day."

With that, he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Good. Get to it then." Ciel said, visibly more relaxed. "I'll join you in a bit."

The Imperative proceeded upstairs and made his way to the living area. He glanced around and found his children sitting on the living room couch. Atreus was slumped over, looking exhausted and dejected, while Amelia had a hand on his shoulder, seemingly in the process of trying to cheer him up. He paused to watch them for a moment, and felt a deep pang of regret in his chest.

"I'm sorry." he finally said, stepping closer. "I should never have put you in this situation."

Atreus straightened up and looked at him with bloodshot eyes.

"Don't say that." he replied. "I was offered an opportunity to defend the things and people dear to me… and I took it."

"And look at the toll it's taking on you." Cadmus countered, hugging his son. "The things you've seen out there, the stress you've been under…"

"It's not easy, I'll admit it." Atreus said. "But I accepted this responsibility."

"You don't have to do this." Cadmus insisted. "I can get you another machine. You can just forget about this whole thing and stay home if-"

"No." Atreus insisted in turn. "My friends need me. The world needs me."

"Then at least remember you don't have to carry this burden alone." Cadmus said somberly, clearly distressed. "Why didn't you tell me what that thing is doing to your head?"

"I guess Fairy went and told you then..."

"Wait, what?" Amelia asked, before glaring at her brother. "What is he talking about?"

"Are you hallucinating?" Cadmus insisted. "Are you hearing voices? What's happening?"

"I'm not entirely sure myself. They come and go randomly." Atreus clarified. "It's an annoyance and a distraction."

"We're getting you a full medical check up before you go anywhere else." Cadmus decided. "We can't leave anything to chance. Not when it comes to your safety."

"I… can't argue with that." Atreus conceded. "I just… wonder..."

"Hmm?" Amelia interjected.

"What the voices meant..." Atreus clarified. "There were… two of them."

"Do you remember what they said?" Amelia asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"The first said… 'I wasn't much of a shield last time.'"

At the mention of those words, Cadmus froze in place.

"And the second?" Amelia asked.

"The second one… said..." he struggled to recall. "'The safest place is behind you.'"

Then he looked at his father and found him struggling to fight back tears.

"Father?!" he called out in alarm. "Are you all right?!"

"I will be..." Cadmus replied, still looking shocked. "As soon as you get to a doctor."

"_It can't be..."_ the Imperative thought, haunted by distant memories.

"Seconded." Amelia added, tugging at his brother's ear. "And next time, say something to the rest of us, you dummy."

* * *

Some time later...

Ciel stepped into the elevator and descended a few floors, finally heading into a smaller chamber, deeper in the Sanctum of the Founders. She locked the door and stretched her limbs for a moment before sitting down on an ergonomic chair in front of a desk where a singular computer was mounted, decorated with her favorite pink and white color scheme.

The retinal scanner's light briefly shone over her eyes before disengaging the lock and the system started up. She took hold of the mouse and opened a shortcut on the desktop.

A window opened up on the screen and after a few seconds of static, a face identical to her own appeared in it, with the signal coming from what looked like a completely ordinary bedroom lit by natural sunlight. The camera mounted atop the monitor blinked to life and, despite the fatigue at the end of a long day and the weight of her thoughts, she smiled fondly and openly at the person on the other side with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes before leaning slightly forward to speak.

"Hello, me."


	10. A Pair of Crimson Wings

Chapter 10 – A Pair of Crimson Wings

As night fell upon Neo Atlantis, the Affirmative found herself tending to something more urgent to her than matters of state.

As she sat on the living room couch, with her sleeping son's head resting on her lap, she couldn't help thinking how small he seemed at the moment, despite being taller than her and legally an adult as of his last birthday.

"_Don't worry..."_ she thought as she ran a hand over his hair. _"This pain will pass. One way or another… I'll make sure both of you make it through this."_

She studied his sleeping face, peaceful once again, and another thought crossed her mind.

"_I wonder… If things had been different, would she have s__hared__ moments __like these __with her boy as well?"_

She then sighed.

"_I suppose it's not fair that I got another chance while she did not. I can only hope that one day..."_

She turned her attention to her son's sleeping face once again and smiled.

"_But for now, let's focus on this side of the mirror… __Sweet dreams, Little Prince. S__tay strong so you can find the one who's waiting for you out there...__"_

* * *

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

Free from the weight of the flesh, at least momentarily, two figures stood back to back on a stone platform overlooking a dreamlike landscape, where strange shifting lights glimmered in the distance, while ever-changing colors and shapes shifted back and forth.

One was slim but fit, with short hair. The other was taller, with a more muscular frame, and a mane of hair running halfway down its back.

"So..." the slim figure said. "Now that we've got a few minutes of peace and quiet without interruptions..."

"The answer is yes." the taller figure said abruptly.

"Funny." the slim figure remarked in an amused tone. "I remember you used to be the one trying to talk me out of doing unreasonable things."

"Maybe more of you has rubbed off on me than I thought." the taller figure said with a shrug. "Or maybe you and I were never so different to begin with."

"I suppose that's one of the reasons why we've always understood each other." the slim figure pondered.

"And soon enough we'll bring our full strength to bear..." the taller figure said, raising a clenched fist.

"To protect the gifts we have been given." the slim figure added, mirroring the gesture.

The two then moved to stand side by side, their forms still shrouded but their eyes glowing brightly, the slim figure's deep blue and the taller one's emerald green.

"The first time was traumatic enough." the slim figure said with its clenched fist quivering. "I will not lose them again."

"Her heart was wounded enough last time." the taller figure growled. "I will not let her be hurt again."

"If any enemy appears before us… alien, AI or otherwise..." the slim figure said.

"We'll take it down." the taller figure finished.

* * *

Around the same time, in the Morskoy Lev…

"We're almost there." Laika said with a pensive look on his face as he sat on the captain's chair and digested the events of the day.

"We kicked ass, but I wish we could have done more." Chisao remarked.

"Next time..." GutsMan said. "We'll just have to try harder."

"Try harder..." Maria added. "But be smart about it."

"I just hope those mongrels have learned their lesson for now." Aya chimed in. "The Professors have only just finished repairing our machines and we have already managed to get them damaged again. This will take time to sort out."

"We may need to revise our strategy." Maria said, adjusting her glasses. "This is a magnificent carrier, but these attacks are too spread out."

"I'm sure the Professors are already thinking of something." Shingo said with absolute conviction, though his voice still sounded strained.

"You OK?" Maito asked.

"Throat's a bit messed up." Shingo explained. "Probably from those damn allergies… and the screaming."

Aya scoffed, but did not comment, then remembered something and looked around for a moment.

"Where's Patch anyway?"

"I didn't have the heart to wake him up." Maito said with a shrug.

* * *

Meanwhile...

In the hangar bay, still strapped to his seat in the X-1's cockpit, one Raito Hikari was fast asleep, exhausted from the battle and the stress.

Suddenly, sensing a presence, he opened his eyes. Much to his surprise he saw someone standing – or rather hovering – outside the X-1, right in front of the cockpit view ports. He blinked, just to make sure he was not hallucinating, but the sight before him stayed exactly the same – a boy, seemingly younger than him, wearing a striped blue and yellow t-shirt, blue shorts, red running shoes, white socks and a red baseball cap with a blue tip, staring at him with hazel eyes full of life and a warm smile on his face.

"You OK in there?" the boy asked.

"Uh… yeah… I guess..." Raito stammered, struggling to believe his eyes.

"Cool robot." the boy remarked.

"Thanks." Raito managed to say, still at a loss for words. "My Dad and uncle made it for me."

He then paused for a moment and blinked, still baffled by the sight.

"You're not losing your mind just yet, don't worry." the boy said as if guessing what he was thinking, looking a little amused at Raito's reaction.

"How did you get here then?" Raito asked, dumbfounded. "Who are you anyway?"

"A story for later." the boy said, still smiling. "For now, I'll just say you look like you've got a big weight on your shoulders."

"You could say that, yes..." Raito conceded, still not sure if he was talking to a hallucination or not.

"Let me teach you a little trick that helped me a lot back in the day." the boy said, still smiling.

"A trick?" Raito asked.

"Take a melody. Simple as can be."

"OK?"

"Then, give it some words and sweet harmony."

"What...?" Raito asked, blinking.

"Try it." the boy insisted. "Don't be shy about raising your voice."

He then looked over his shoulder and then back at Raito.

"I've gotta go for now but I'll be keeping an eye on you. Stay safe out there."

With that, the boy disappeared without a trace.

"What just happened?" Raito wondered, utterly confused.

Then his surroundings abruptly became blurry and indistinct… and he found himself truly waking up.

"What a weird dream..." he muttered, looking around.

* * *

Around the same time, in the Hikari household...

Finally throwing in the towel, Lan had pried himself from his work and returned home, intending to greet his returning son and nephew. Unfortunately he had underestimated his fatigue and ended up dozing off on the living room couch mere moments after sitting down. With his head thrown back and his mouth wide open, he was loudly snoring as a tiny bit of drool dripped out the corner of his mouth.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound behind him and opened his eyes, then looked over his shoulder.

"I was wondering when you'd show up." he said in a manner of greeting.

"It has been a while." a male voice acknowledged, measured and calm, with a cultured accent.

The owner of the voice, taller than Lan, stood there clad in a white tunic over a golden suit of armor, his body faintly glowing with a bluish light. In his hands he was effortlessly carrying a massive leather-bound tome. Without much ceremony, he stepped around the couch, bringing his long black hair into view. His eyes, of a pure, radiant blue, were framed by a handsome face, though its lower half was covered by a worn, leathery piece of brown cloth that clashed horribly with the rest of the ensemble, crisscrossed by a strange, jagged white symbol.

"So, what ominous advice are you here to deliver tonight?" Lan asked with a hint of sarcasm. "If you're here to tell us about the aliens, you're a bit late."

"I know." the newcomer said flatly. "You and yours have been preparing extensively for this. I have been watching."

"I suppose you did warn us not to go blasting off into other worlds without thinking." Lan recalled. "But trouble came to us anyway."

"I am far from omniscient, if you will recall." the newcomer said, sounding almost a little defensive.

"I know. But you knew about Old Atlantis, didn't you?" Lan pointed out. "Why didn't you say anything twenty years ago?"

"None of you were prepared for that." the newcomer retorted. "Some of you still needed time to find yourselves… and all of you already had more than enough reasons for concern. I suppose I too was hoping you would have a measure of peace."

"I have to admit..." Lan conceded. "Some of us have definitely been having trouble sleeping since the day we first saw that thing."

Lan then glanced around.

"I must say this is new, by the way. Did you get tired of pulling people to your place while they're out cold?"

"Not all of them cared for the tea, and this way I did not have to clean everything up in a hurry." the newcomer retorted rather dryly.

"Is that a joke I'm hearing?" Lan asked with a scoff. "Maybe you really have changed..."

"Eternity is relentless, my friend. I came here tonight to greet you and to pass along a message."

"A message?" Lan asked, already dreading the prospect of a long, drawn-out speech full of cryptic statements.

"Your friends on the other side of the mirror are not the only ones on your side. There are others more than willing to join forces close by. You have already met some of them before."

"You'll have to be a little more specific than that." Lan said, remembering how his visitor tended to fall into the habit of speaking that way.

"They are watchful. They are relied upon." the figure said. "You can trust them. In fact, you have already fought alongside their leader, in a way."

"Are you talking about… them?" Lan asked. "Why can't I remember anything about it?"

He then leered suspiciously at the newcomer.

"Did you do something to me back then?"

"I did not." the figure replied, sounding almost a little offended. "But it would be within my power to do so… and there are others out there capable of it as well."

"That… doesn't sound very encouraging." Lan pointed out. "In fact, if they did it, then that doesn't make them seem very trustworthy."

"Things will become clearer in time. But know this. You have many people here and elsewhere watching these events and waiting in the wings."

"Oh, I know." Lan said. "I'm not going to try to do everything by myself. I miss the days when I could just jack into a computer terminal, delete some viruses and be on my way."

"You may need to make difficult choices further down the road, and your options may seem limited. But remember. Sometimes… a coin does land on its edge."

"I suppose I'll end up thanking you for the advice later." Lan said. "And getting a bit mad at you for not speaking plainly."

"I too have been on the receiving end of manipulation before, remember? If I do not speak plainly, that is because some things need to happen at the proper time. You will recognize the signs when they come, but if I tell you too much you could end up making a costly mistake."

"And what signs are you speaking of exactly?"

"I am not spouting prophecy here." the newcomer said. "I do not care for that sort of thing. I can, however, give you my impressions."

"Go ahead..."

"During the sundering of the old island, four cores broke off from the vein and their forms were shaped by the minds of humans."

"You mean..."

"Yes. As you suspected, they came from the same source. You have already seen the Man and the Lion."

"So what happened to the others?" Lan asked.

"The Ram will come eventually, but the Eagle is lost and still needs to find its way."

"Back to being cryptic?" Lan asked with a sigh.

"Beasts are true to their nature, but Man must choose. Children of Light and Machine Souls will light the path… and if he does not lose himself, their combined strength will turn the tide."

"I thought you said you were not spouting prophecy." Lan pointed out. "What do you call that then?"

"Simple observation… though I do tend to ramble and embellish." the newcomer conceded. "The point is, the results of Nur-Ab-Sal's folly are working to our benefit… for now."

"I still don't like this." Lan said. "The Leonarch doesn't give me the same creepy vibe but... those two inside the Apotheosis are hiding something more from us."

"You are already aware of some of their history." the newcomer pointed out. "I would watch the elder with particular care. He is consumed with eight thousand years of hatred and resentment."

"No shit." Lan said rather bluntly. "I think it's pretty clear who was to blame for that burning hand stunt."

Then, realizing something, he tensed up.

"Machine Soul..." Lan muttered. "Wait a minute… Isn't that what that alien called-"

Lan found himself abruptly brought back to the waking world as a finger poked one of his ticklish spots with practiced ease. He twitched, then groggily opened his tired eyes to find his loving wife staring at him with a mischievous smile.

"Your neck's going to be all sore in the morning if you sleep like that." she said, wagging her finger at him. "Come on. Off to bed with you."

"Bah..." Lan grumbled. "So much for staying up to wait for the boys to get back..."

* * *

Meanwhile, a vast distance away...

In a lavishly decorated chamber, with a green carpet resembling velvet, its walls lined with various armaments from archaic to futuristic and a window in the back where a field of stars was on display amidst the blackness of space, a figure clad in a crimson military style uniform was sitting on a metal chair behind a heavy desk, seemingly carved out of some sort of white wood with elaborate golden engravings.

"This will not do at all..." the alien hissed in his native language as another figure in the same outfit stood before the desk.

"Sir?" the other alien, also make, hesitantly asked.

"Do you understand what is at stake here, Belphes?"

"Yes Sir."

"Do you also understand what will happen if the High Priestess or the Emperor catch wind of all of this?"

"Yes Sir." the aide repeated. "After what we endured to get this far..."

"Only to find that rock infested with Machine Souls." the figure behind the desk growled. "Our remote weapons being subverted would have been enough of an insult, but this..."

"They will not stand in the path to salvation, Sir. I will sortie on the Belkath and make an example of that blue machine."

"See that you do. They enjoy pretending to be heroes, but we know all too well what truly lurks in a machine's treacherous mind."

* * *

The next morning, at the Hikari Laboratory, as the returned Robot Masters were in the middle of piloting exercises under Dex's supervision, the twins were in the middle of a call from the Mission Control room.

"You know..." Lan said as he looked at Ciel's face on one of the monitors. "It's still kind of funny to think of two heads of state spending most of their time working in a lab like you do."

"The factories are taking care of the mass production stuff, but there are still a lot of custom pieces and precision components that need to be taken care of." Ciel said with a shrug. "Especially the ones meant for the children's use. Besides, you're the director and you're still pulling all nighters doing manual and design work. Didn't Yai hire an army of engineers and technicians to work with you?"

"She's got you there." Hub chimed in. "I guess there are things we just have to do ourselves. Our way of protecting our families."

"So…" Lan recalled. "The Guardians actually captured a live alien or three last time, right?"

"Yes." Ciel said with a nod. "We're still going through their machines and equipment and dissecting their translation device with the help of some people from Asimov University."

"Even if we do understand the language though..." Phantom added. "The challenge will be getting any useful information out of them."

Lan frowned, all too aware the implications.

"What are you going to do to them?"

"For now? Keep them confined." the Guardian said grimly. "They already attempted to escape or kill themselves twice in transit."

"I hope you'll be able to get through this without doing anything you'll be ashamed of later." Lan said.

"Aiming for cockpits is fair game if we're trying to save innocent lives." Phantom said. "It's also exceedingly difficult to keep your hands clean when you're working in intelligence. But we are not monsters."

"What about their biology anyway?" Hub added. "Are they really...?"

"Unsettlingly close to human, yes." Phantom confirmed. "Blue skin aside, the autopsy reports and the observation of live captures leave little doubt. We are still going through their genome however."

"We're still not sure how this is possible, but we have people working on some theories." Ciel added.

"Well, keep us posted." Lan said. "We have other things to take care of now."

Phantom nodded and ended the call.

It looked like it was going to be a quiet day for a change, and the twins were content sitting around for another hour, simply sorting through their notes and casting the occasional glance outside where the young pilots were engaging in piloting exercises under Dex's supervision, on an empty lot adjacent to the Laboratory grounds.

Eventually, Lan checked the time on his PET and stood up, then exchanged a glance with his brother.

"The boys have been feeling a bit down since Olisipo..." Hub noted with a frown, turning his attention to the window outside where the team's robots were in sight, still in the middle of a tactical drill.

"Yeah..." Lan said with a nod before his face lit up with a smile. "But this should cheer them right up!"

Still in town while the Morskoy Lev was being refueled and resupplied, Laika stepped into the room and glanced around.

"No matter how many times I see this place, it still feels like something out of a sci-fi show."

"Science fact begins with science fiction." Lan reminded him before walking back to the console.

"Boys!" he called out, opening a video link and seeing Raito and Maito staring quizzically at him through the cockpit camera.

"So..." Lan said. "Do you remember how we mentioned the flying cockpit and swimming pool elevator ideas were vetoed?"

"Yeah…?" Raito replied, stopping what he was doing.

Hearing the conversation through the shared channel, Dex too flashed a grin, knowing what was coming.

"OK kids, take ten." he said. "All of you."

"There was one item that was non-negotiable though." Hub said with a grin. "Hit it!"

With what could only be described as a shit eating grin, Lan pushed a button and a very old and very familiar song started playing through their shared radio frequency, just as a secondary hangar door started opening.

"3… 2… 1… 0!" a man's voice announced. "Launch!"

"_Wait a minute..."_ the nearly identical cousins thought, stopping in their tracks as they saw the tip of some sort of rocket emerging. Whatever it was, it was heading in their direction at a ludicrous speed.

The song continued and the same voice began to sing in earnest.

"A pair of crimson wings soars through the sky!"

Their eyes widened like dinner plates as, recognizing the song, they saw the contents of the rocket – something resembling a golden and crimson backpack with a prominent set of thrusters on the back and lower sides – swooped behind the X-1 and latched onto its back. Knowing what was coming next, they let out a very unmanly squeal of excitement. A pair of crimson metallic wings unfolded from the new attachment, with a shape reminiscent of a bat's, while the thrusters came to life with a rumbling sound.

"Its name is Rush Jet!" Lan proclaimed, raising his voice over the song.

He then paused and furtively glanced to the side.

"Scrander!" he muttered under his breath, giving the increasingly present lawyer a dirty look.

The man jotted another line on his black notebook but said nothing.

The blue machine took off on its new pair of wings, looping and weaving through the sky as the two nearly identical cousins shouted in joy at the top of their lungs.

"I suppose I don't mind a little nepotism at a time like this." Aya remarked with a smile as she watched them soar.

"_I guess I was worrying too much."_ she thought with evident relief. "_Look at them, bouncing right back up. I hope I can do the same..."_

The haughty facade she tried to keep in public gave way to her softer side, and she simply made herself comfortable on her piloting seat, watching the two boys she had grown to love like brothers taking to the sky.

Relieved to see the two back to their usual selves after such an ordeal, Shingo did not have the heart to make any snide remarks at Aya.

"I almost worried that age might have made you two a little too serious." Laika remarked with a smirk as he glanced at Lan.

"I don't know where you got your sense of humor, but you're better off for it." Lan retorted.

"You can thank Kalinka for that." the gruff veteran said, scratching his beard.

Standing a short distance behind them, Tron and Ms. Yumi watched as well.

"This brings me back..." Ms. Yumi remarked with a strange look on her face.

"What do you mean?" Tron asked, a little confused.

"Now is not the time..." she said.

"_What would you think if you were here to see this, Dad?"_ she thought. _"The stories I'll have for you when I get home..."_

She then let out a sigh and glanced at the twins with a sad look on her face.

"_One day I'll have to leave all of this behind… but for now I'm with you guys all the way."_

The X-1 streaked through the skies, still picking up speed as it flew over the town the boys had known since their birth. On the streets below, people stopped and looked up, waving, cheering and taking pictures, but the two were so ecstatic they did not even notice it.

"Who does this sky belong to?!" Raito cried out excitedly alongside the song.

"It belongs to you! To me! To all of us!" Maito cried out in return with a goofy smile on his face.

The X-1 continued its flight beyond the city limits, over fields and train tracks, doing the occasional looping through the air.

"Fifty kilometers already…" Laika remarked as he checked their position on a tracker. "Aren't they going a little too far?"

"It's fine, don't worry." Lan said. "We gave them months of simulator training before their butts ever touched the pilot seats, made the controls so easy a chimp could handle the X-1 safely, and we have an auto-pilot… along with another safety measure."

"Another safety measure?" Laika asked.

From the Cyberworld, Iris stood watch, ready to intervene the second something got out of hand.

"_You were always such a goofball __Lan__..."_ she thought with a fond smile as she monitored their trajectory. _"__That definitely hit the spot though. I haven't seen the boys this happy in a while."_

The rest of the team forgot about their training and disembarked from their machines, crowding the entrance lobby to watch the flight from a large flat screen TV mounted on a wall to which Hub routed the same footage.

"Those kids are goin' places..." Dex remarked with a smile.

"Look at 'em." GutsMan added. "Livin' the dream bro."

With the wings and the rocket booster, it seemed as if the X-1 could keep going forever… or at least until it ran out of whatever fuel it was using. It soared eastward, over the ocean, crossing the distance in less than two hours, then turned southward and soon zigzagged over the shoreline of South America. Raito and Maito even entertained the notion of trying to make it to Neo Atlantis or even Albion, just to see if they could.

"_Well now..."_ Iris mused._ "Maybe they're taking their first flight a little too far..."_

The boys were not the only ones to lose track of time as their family and friends watching them settled down in front of their respective screens, enjoying the show. The nearly identical cousins eventually found their joyful occasion cut short, however, as a transmission from the Morskoy Lev reached the laboratory.

"Eti ublyudki snova za etim..." Alyona growled from her seat in the submarine carrier's bridge.

"Those bastards are at it again." Laika translated, before studying the data being streamed to the screen. "Send us the coordinates."

"Those two have quite the mouths..." Lan remarked, giving Laika a sympathetic look.

"They do." Laika said with a smirk. "But what's a man going to do?"

His expression then hardened as he finished interpreting what was before his eyes.

"It looks like the satellite surveillance plan paid off." he said as he adjusted the three dimensional image of Earth with projected trajectories. "They should touch down… here."

"Wait a minute..." Hub realized as he saw what Laika was pointing at. "There's just one alien unit this time… and it's heading straight for their position!"

"They're too far away for the others to get there in time..." Laika realized with a bitter scowl.

"Hey you two!" Lan cried out through the communication link. "You've got company!"

A massive form plummeted down from outer space, its outer surface superheated from entering the atmosphere.

"We see it!" Maito answered as it streaked past them and impacted the ground somewhere in a sprawling prairie.

"Stop right there, fiend!" Raito shouted as the X-1 began its descent.

"A pair of crimson wings soars through the sky!" Maito shouted striking a dramatic pose with their machine before its feet touched the ground. "Its coming heralds your doom!"

"Machine Soul!" the alien inside the new machine snarled.

"That crap again..." Raito retorted, reaching for the weapon controls.

"Wait a minute..." Maito said, feeling that something was off.

Much to their surprise, this new invader appeared to have come alone, without the usual swarms of unmanned units or escorts.

Almost twice the height of the X-1, it stood on thick legs, with large, bulbous shoulderpads and oversized hands ending in clawed fingers. The entire surface of the alien machine was covered in a shiny black substance resembling obsidian, apart from the orange visor slit on its head and the seven horns protruding from its head, which seemed to be made out of some dark silvery metal. Finally, the machine sported two apparent armaments, fashioned from the same substance as the horns – a metallic ornament in the shape of a circle with eight jagged spikes protruding in eight directions was mounted on its back, and clutched tightly in its right hand was a massive spiked mace.

"Something's not right here..." Raito added, glancing around suspiciously. Indeed, there were no other machines in sight, human, alien or otherwise.

"I don't know what's going on here..." Raito hissed, turning his attention back to the alien. "But..."

"Things are going to be different this time." Maito added, clenching his fists. "You made a mistake coming alone… and ruining our good mood."

"One of these is all we need… to deal with the likes of you!" the alien hissed. "Once you are broken, the rest of the machines will know their days are numbered… and the humans will know the new order of things."

"I think I liked you assholes better before you started talking." Maito retorted as the X-1 started charging at the new adversary.

"Not that we cared for you much at all, after your buddies came down shooting at everything in sight!" Raito added, baring his teeth.

"Our ways are not for you to-" the alien tried to retort before Maito cut him off.

"Shut up! The typical 'beyond your understanding' bullshit?! Is that the best you've got?!"

"Let him have it!" Raito shouted. "DRILL MISSILE!"

The piercing projectiles copied from the Drill Machine shot out of the X-1's right arm cannon… and harmlessly broke against the alien machine's strange armor.

"Damnit..." Raito hissed.

"SPARK SHOCK!" Maito cried out as the X-1 launched a burst of electricity from its arm cannon. The surface of the alien machine sizzled, but it did not appear to suffer any visible damage.

"My turn." the alien hissed.

The alien machine reached behind it back and detached the back ornament, then hurled it at the X-1. As it spun through the air, it started emitting a deep hum and the spikes quickly heated up, glowing orange. It did not take a genius to understand what was going on, and the cousins quickly rolled their machine out of the way. The spiked disc streaked past them and into the distance.

"Is that all?" Raito taunted, aiming a Buster shot at the alien machine's visor. Before he could finish charging a shot, however, he realized something.

"_Don't these things usually-"_

The two reacted just in time to avoid a blow to the X-1's back, but the returning disc's superheated metal spikes instead tore a deep gash through its left arm.

"Shit..." Raito hissed.

"We're still in the fight." Maito remarked as he pulled up the system diagnostics. "But don't get cocky."

"Well… there's always the THERMAL LANCE BEAM!" Raito announced, unleashing another blast of the recently copied alien weapon.

The alien instinctively brought the spiked disc to bear as a shield, blocking the beam. The heating effect on the spikes dissipated, suggesting they had hit something important but the alien robot itself seemed undamaged.

"That thing made it down from space, remember?" Maito scolded under his breath. "Don't go wasting all our energy on it like last time either."

"You are truly vile, Machine Soul." the alien spat. "Not only do you take the appearance of a human child and endanger him with your presence, but you steal our weapons?!"

"Shut the hell up!" Raito retorted. "I'm here because I want to, and he's not a machine, he's family!"

"Ridiculous." the alien spat, as the seven horns on its head began to glow with a crimson light. "A machine has no family. A machine has no emotions. A machine has no need for a mind and should never be given one!"

With that, the towering alien robot charged like some sort of demonic bull. Caught by surprise by the sudden burst of speed, the boys were unable to dodge in time, and the X-1 found itself rammed by its opponent's massive head and knocked off its feet with what could only be described as as a crater on its torso. The seven horns were evidently not just for show.

"That's gonna hurt in the morning..." Raito groaned, silently thankful that his father and uncle had insisted on all the Robot Masters wearing helmets and seatbelts.

"Damnit..." Lan hissed as he watched the battle unfold. Weighing his options, he made another call.

"Sage!" he called out as the Guardian's face appeared on another screen with a heavy frown. "The boys could really use a hand here..."

"Sorry..." Sage replied with a wince right before an explosion echoed in the background. "As much as we'd want to help, if even one of us leaves here now a whole lot of people are going to die."

"What happened?" Hub asked.

"Bastards are hitting the Mumbai Arcology. I don't need to tell you how many people are living inside..."

"Understood..." Lan said with a nod. "Keep us posted."

"Will do." the Guardian acknowledged before closing the connection.

"_We can't do anything about it right now..." _the Guardian thought. _"But..."_

Back on the battlefield...

"Do you see now, child?" the alien gloated. "We have marched across hundreds of worlds. Your primitive machines stand no chance… and you will not stand in the way of our salvation."

"Don't you ever shut up?!" Raito retorted.

"I suppose I cannot expect an addled primitive to grasp the extent of the situation..."

Meanwhile, while the alien and the boys kept running their mouths, Iris checked the X-1's condition from the inside.

"_Nothing too important damaged, but… we really should try to find some sort of solution for field repairs. I'm sure the nanites can do that too with the right coaxing..."_

"Up… yours!" Maito retorted. "BUSTER MISSILE!"

Just as he was about to fire, his hand slipped off the joystick steering the targeting system, causing the shot to strike a rather different spot than intended. Against an organic target, it might have been effective. Against a machine, however, it shredded a thick layer of plating and a functionally useless section of the structure.

"A nut shot? Really?" Raito teased.

"My hand slipped." Maito grumbled. "My aim is still better than yours."

"Low blow..." Raito hissed in annoyance, recalling one particular incident during their initial training.

It was then that a new combatant made their presence known, darting into the scene from above.

"What the hell is that?!" Lan muttered to himself before glancing at his brother. "You're seeing this too, right?"

Soaring through the sky, clad in what looked like a cross between a green and white suit of armor and a ballroom dress, a distinctly feminine figure interposed itself between the X-1 and its adversary.

"Wait..." Hub realized. "Didn't Atreus mention something about this?"

"Looks a little different, but I think so." Lan confirmed with a nod, noticing that the figure had seemingly replaced the gloves with a pair of white armored gauntlets in the same design scheme as the rest of the outfit.

Mayl chose that moment to step into the room, having dropped by to check on the boys.

"What's that?" she asked, dashing closer to the screen. "One of yours?"

"No." Lan said, shaking his head.

"Pity. I'd have loved one of those in pink."

"Honey, I know you can be a kickass heroine, but something like that would be too dangerous even by my standards."

"_Besides, I have something better in mind for you later..." _Lan thought with a mischievous smirk.

"_Well well well..."_ Iris thought with an amused smile as she watched the newcomer through the X'1's external camera feeds.

Ignoring the newcomer, the alien kept his attention focused on the X-1. A dozen tiny ports opened in its oversized shoulderpads, revealing a pair of rocket batteries, while its central horn started glowing ominously. Then, it began firing, unleashing a barrage of tiny rockets from the shoulder batteries and orange beams from the horn.

"That piece of..." Lan growled, clenching his fists as he watched the blue machine he and his brother had constructed rolling and dodging out of the way of a veritable swarm of tiny rockets before its right leg was grazed by a beam. "Hub, we need to get the-"

"It's not ready yet, and you know it." Hub interrupted. "It won't even be able to move at this stage."

"Damnit!" Lan fumed, his fist suddenly engulfed in white light. "What's the point of having this power when we're up against monsters the size of skyscrapers?"

Thankfully the twins' lab assistants had momentarily stepped out of the room and missed the display. The twins had been trying to keep their abilities concealed for years until they could fully understand them… and they did not want people to start blowing their legend even more out of proportion after the exploits of their younger days.

"Tovarich, don't go losing your shit now." Laika cautioned, though his fists were clenched behind his back and his brow was marred by a deep frown. "I don't know what I'd do if it was my little girl out there, but we need to keep a cool head at times like this."

"Calm down, please." Hub pleaded, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I hate it as much as you do, but we're not out of options yet… and we have to trust the boys."

"It's not about trust… It's about-"

Lan was cut off as he suddenly sensed something familiar. With a haunted look in his eyes, he glanced at his brother and instantly knew that he had sensed the same.

"Look..." Hub said, pointing at one of the screens, where a life feed from the cockpit's cameras was on display.

As the X-1 continued to struggle against the larger machine, something strange happened. Almost imperceptibly at first, a strange, faint white light shimmered across its surface and then faded out again. The flying armored figure stopped mid-air and silently glanced at them, as if sensing what was happening.

"Keep… pushing..." Raito hissed, straining the controls as hard as he could.

"We can't just brute force this one..." Maito said in a strangely calm tone. "Focus… Together, now..."

The two boys, similar enough to be mistaken for twins, shared a bond more akin to that of brothers. This bond had manifested itself in subtle ways in the past, making them aware of each other's moods and presence, but something else had been slowly but steadily growing since their first battle.

Trusting his cousin completely, Raito took his words to heart and tried to clear his mind with a deep breath. That was when he felt it – a strange, tranquil clarity, shutting down the discomfort from the sore spots from their tumble, the tension of battle and the fear for his loved ones that he struggled to hide behind bravado and a big mouth.

The shimmer returned, then grew slightly.

Their towering foe raised its oversized right fist, intent on swatting them like an annoying blue fly.

With both boys suddenly coordinating their movements at a level beyond anything they had been able to achieve in the simulator or in their previous battles, the X-1 kicked the alien machine's arm away and weaved out of the path of several incoming beams and projectiles.

"There..." Raito whispered.

"I see it!" Maito whispered back.

Instead of calling another attack out loud, they quietly emulated one of the Guts Machine's tricks. While the Rocket Punch or the Hadouken were still beyond their ability to replicate, there was at least one thing they could do. The plating on the X-1's right forearm parted and the arm itself engorged, almost like an animated character powering up. With a sudden burst of speed, the blue robot sidestepped an incoming spray of rockets and kept moving forward. Meanwhile, the left arm bent, hiding behind the body.

"Sock 'em good boys!" GutsMan cheered as he watched the action on the screen at the lobby, though he knew they couldn't hear him.

Covering the distance, the X-1 made a final dash, slipping past the alien machine's onslaught and delivered a singular punch to its midsection… followed by a slash from the temporary Monomolecular Cutter hidden behind its back. The replicated blade only lasted for one blow, shattering immediately afterwards, but it did manage to slice through the spot where the punch had weakened the armor plating. The shimmer faded after that, and the boys gave no sign of ever having noticed it.

From the laboratory, Lan and Hub watched intently.

"Did you see that?" Lan whispered, absolutely giddy as he recognized the telltale signs of something very familiar.

"As we suspected..." Hub added. "Almost..."

"Just a flash..." Lan mused with a smile. "But a sign of things to come. I'm sure of it..."

"But for now, we have to figure out how to get them out of there." Hub said, restraining his enthusiasm.

Something in Laika's coat pocket started beeping and he reached into it, pulling out his oversized earpiece. He put it on and answered the incoming call.

"Someone upstairs heard what's going on." a familiar voice said. "It just so happened that some of our people were testing some new hardware in Yucatan."

"Alexei..." Laika said.

"Don't worry, I didn't say anything. This came straight from the top."

"_Guess they live up to their motto..."_ Laika thought. _"They are watchful… but can they be relied upon?"_

"Hey, look!" Lan said, pointing at a screen showing the feed from one of the cameras mounted outside the X-1. Something appeared to be swiftly approaching from the northeast.

"That's..." Hub realized.

An increasingly familiar black machine soared through the sky, propelled by rocket boosters that left a momentary trail of bluish mist in its wake.

"Are you sure about this Major?" Captain Devon asked from inside the Gespenst.

"Don't worry." the Major replied through the communications link. "You have what it takes to handle these weapons. Trust the machine and it will keep you safe."

"I'll take your word for it." the Captain said before ending the transmission.

"Ray, Deikun, with me!" he called out. "And remember, those prototypes are so fresh we don't have spares yet. Don't lose them."

"Acknowledged." the pilot in the red machine replied, trying to keep up using his unit's thrusters. His companion in the white machine said nothing, focusing on their target instead.

Returning to the Laboratory's mission control room, Ms. Yumi stared at the black machine's image on one of the monitors and suddenly stiffened.

"_No doubt about it now…"_ she thought with a frown. _"The name isn't just a coincidence. __What's your handiwork doing here, Gilliam Yeager? Are you responsible for those ugly things t__oo__?__"_

"You..." the alien hissed, momentarily turning his attention to the approaching Gespenst. "You have been a thorn in our side for too long, Black Phantom."

"You haven't seen anything yet, wanker." the Captain muttered to himself, not bothering to send a transmission.

From the back of the Gespenst a pair of pods shot out, propelled by rockets. The pods broke apart a moment later, and from each of them erupted a swarm of small white missiles, which peppered the alien machine's surface, doing some visible damage to the plating but nowhere near enough to stop it.

"About what I expected for something that big." the Captain conceded. "I'm not quite ready to call it a day though!"

"Hey you!" Raito cried out through an open channel as the X-1 gripped its right wrist with its left hand. "Get out of the way!"

Knowing better than to ask questions in the middle of a firefight, especially when a raised weapon was involved, the Captain did just that, putting some distance between himself and the alien.

"Get 'em boys!" Dex cheered with a raised fist as he stood next to his brothers in front of the lobby screen.

"BUSTER MISSILE!" Maito shouted, pointing the X-1's arm cannon at the towering alien machine… this time aiming for the head.

"Too slow, machine." the alien inside taunted, somehow managing to steer the massive robot out of the way… until it was enveloped by an eerie purple energy and somehow abruptly changed its trajectory, slamming into the target and tearing a deep hole through its midsection.

"What the bloody hell is that?" the Captain muttered to himself, finally noticing the armored figure currently hovering in place high above with an outstretched hand, still faintly alight with the strange purple energy.

He quickly reached for the radio and signaled the base.

"Major... are you seeing this?"

"We are." the Commander replied.

The two soldiers in the red and white MECs exchanged confused glances, having finally caught up and spotted the same thing.

"What is this… feeling in my head?" the pilot of the white unit wondered, unable to pry his gaze off the strange being as it ducked an incoming beam from the larger central horn and retaliated with one of its own.

"Not now..." his companion in the red machine chimed in, snapping him out of it. "Focus."

The alien machine fired another orange tinted energy beam at the petite figure… who promptly raised its hand and deflected it with a surge of the same strange purple energy, which coalesced into a form almost like a shield before dissipating again.

Back at the base, standing next to the Major, the Commander's posture stiffened as she watched the events unfolding.

"Proceed with caution." the Commander warned with a slight twitch in his eye.

"Commander?" the soldier in the white MEC called out.

"Is there something you forgot to mention?" his colleague in the red MEC added.

"A story for another time, perhaps." the Commander retorted, his gaze intently following the figure in the armored dress on the screens. "Don't get distracted now."

The armored figure weaved through the sky, apparently too fast for the alien to hit. The pilot of the red MEC took the opportunity and unceremoniously flung a grenade at the head of the towering behemoth, which the alien completely ignored.

"At this rate the rest of our weapons are going to become obsolete soon too." the soldier lamented.

"Time to up the ante." the Captain said, before switching frequencies. "Stand clear lads!"

Unsure what was going on, the cousins backed down a bit.

"Tradition, huh?" the Captain muttered to himself. "Fine, I'll play along just this time."

For a brief moment, he cast suspicious glances around, then, after making doubly sure that the radio transmitter in his machine was switched off, he raised his right hand and slammed it down on a prominent button in the control console.

"SLASH RIPPERS!"

From the back of the Gespenst a pair of objects shot out, resembling a pair of thin, three pronged metallic propellers of some sort, which then started spinning in the air before darting at the target, tearing ugly gouges in the armor on its limbs and torso before retreating and folding back into their receptacles.

"_Cool weapon."_ Raito thought. _"May have to copy it later."_

"_All this screaming is __bloody ridiculous..."_ the Captain silently pondered. _"But I suppose it does have a certain charm."_

Picking up the pace, the two MEC Troopers raised their latest weapons – a pair of boxy metallic cannons – and took aim. From each of them a large concentrated crimson laser shot out. The two pilots held the triggers as long as they could, gouging holes in the alien machine's arms and torso with sustained bursts of searing light.

"You were right, Gilliam." the Commander remarked as he watched the battle. "I was limiting myself by thinking only in terms of elerium and alloys. If I am to properly defend humanity, I need to use all the technology I can get my hands on."

"Exactly, my friend." the Major said with a nod. "One must never grow complacent in these things."

"That was how things were back then, when I was still new to this." the Commander reminisced. "Shooting down UFOs, picking them apart. Learning to use the Ethereals' technology as well as they did… and surpassing them by combining it with our own."

"It's important not to forget where you came from." the Major said. "Take it from me… Asaru."

While the display was impressive, dealing more damage than the copied Thermal Lance Beam, eventually the two MEC Troopers were forced to fall back, as their new weapons began to overheat and automatically shut down to prevent a catastrophic malfunction.

"Still needs work..." the pilot in the red MEC remarked, sounding somewhat disappointed.

"Time to switch to mags." his colleague in the white machine remarked.

"Go ahead and swap." the Captain chimed in. "I've got this lads."

The Gespenst's thrusters fired at full power, propelling the black machine like a bullet. It raised its right hand and the three rods mounted on its forearm extended and started humming as energy built up within.

"JET MAGNUM!"

With a mighty punch, the Gespenst drove the rods into the towering machine, bursting through the armor. While the Kinetic Strike Module produced rather spectacular punches, the Jet Magnum's rods focused the kinetic energy on the points of impact. Already weakened by the X-1's previous focused attacks, the plating gave way, cracking and falling off in chunks.

"And there's our opening!" Maito shouted as the Gespenst fell back to a safe distance. "THUNDER BREAK!"

Concentrated electricity arced out of the X-1's right hand, over its shoulders and head, and then back to its hand, before shooting out its outstretched finger. Though decidedly not quite as powerful as the original, the burst of electricity still did a considerable amount of damage as it surged through the exposed inner components.

"Don't count us out just yet." the pilot of the red MEC said as he and his companion retrieved yet another new weapon from back mounted holsters – some sort of white rifles, also with a boxy design, but covered in some sort of white polymer apart from the handles and the mouth of the barrels, which were clearly made out of some sort of shiny black metal.

With a strange, rather satisfying hum, each of them began to spew out a yellow stream of some sort, with a distinctive metallic shine. While they only seemed capable of sustaining relatively short bursts of fire, their combined barrages began to shear away other portions of the towering alien robot's armor piece by piece. Even the alien's strange spiked ornament crumbled under the onslaught, breaking into three pieces.

At the Laboratory's mission control room...

"Those look like… some sort of magnetic accelerators." Hub remarked, watching intently through the monitors.

Next to him, Lan winced at the memory of being shot at by some of Sigma's robot drones with weapons using the same technology.

"_Wherever you are, Gallant… thanks for trying to shield me."_ he thought with a sigh, sparing a moment in remembrance of the lost Navi.

Back to the battlefield…

The two MEC Troopers were finally forced to stop firing as their weapons seemed to run out of whatever ammunition they were using. While they reached for some sort of storage compartment in their forearms, the Gespenst raised its rifle and began providing covering fire.

The flying figure darted out of the way of a barrage of beams, which the alien robot at this point was firing wildly from all seven horns, and as the onslaught abated, the crimson hornlike protrusion on the chest of the smaller white form split open before blasting the alien machine with a purple energy beam of some sort.

Seeing this, the nearly identical cousins exchanged glances, grinning excitedly.

"Breast Fire, Breast Fire, Breast Fire!" they chanted in unison, shaking their closed fists.

From the Laboratory's lobby, the Guts Brothers snickered as they watched.

In response, the Variable Weapons System's dedicated display showed an error message.

**ERROR – UNABLE TO ACQUIRE. SUBJECT TOO FAR AWAY.**

"Traitor..." Raito pouted.

"You had ONE job..." Maito grumbled.

"Now, now boys..." Lan chimed in. "I know you're at that age and all, but this isn't the time to be thinking about those things."

The retribution from Mayl's fist upon the top of his head was swift and merciless.

"Dumbass..." she muttered, shaking her head.

"Tell my wife I love her..." Lan gasped in an overly dramatic fashion, clutching the point of impact as if it were a bullet wound.

Seeing how good of a fight his son and nephew were putting up and how they were blossoming into fully fledged heroes before his eyes, he couldn't help feeling giddy… and acting a bit silly as the initial tension abated.

Inside the X-1's systems, Iris quietly scoffed, unsure which Hikari was being the silliest at the moment.

"Oh please." Mayl retorted, before lowering her voice enough for the boys not to overhear her. "Even without those nanites, your head is thicker than granite."

"_Point for Mayl."_ Iris noted with a smug smirk.

"You kind of deserved that one." Hub remarked, shaking his head. "If not for making jokes at a time like this, then for making such a bad one."

"I think I've earned the right to make dad jokes at this point." Lan retorted with a shameless grin.

"You're lucky I can't get enough of you, you silly man..." Mayl groaned, rolling her eyes.

"It's true though..." Lan conceded. "My head is thicker than granite. In fact..."

With a disarming smile, he turned to Mayl.

"I hope you didn't hurt your hand..." he whispered, before taking it in his own and planting a quick kiss on it.

"S-Smartass..." she stuttered, her face turning a slight shade of pink.

"Which one am I then?" he teased. "Make up your mind honey."

"Both." she retorted, though she did not withdraw her hand.

"_Nice comeback Lan..." _Iris thought, trying not to break into a fit of giggling. _"But yes, y__ou somehow__ manage to be both at the same time."_

Behind them, watching the exchange, Tron and Ms. Yumi exchanged awkward glances.

"_Oh my..."_ Tron thought. _"Are they always like this?"_

"_Not too different from home..." _Ms. Yumi thought with a smirk.

* * *

Meanwhile, someone else was showing a different reaction...

"You look like you've seen a ghost, my friend." the Major remarked as he glanced at the Commander.

"You mean like you did when you came to me after spotting those two?" the Commander retorted with a hint of amusement, before his tone turned serious once again.

"I don't know how common this sort of thing is in your neck of the woods, Gilliam..." he added with a deep frown.

Then the Commander's eyes lit up with an eerie blue energy, identical to that projected by the flying armored dancer apart from the color.

"But around here… it can change everything."

"What are you going to do about it?" the Major asked with an undecipherable expression.

"That depends on who this adept is. Either way, nobody else was supposed to have unlocked this power here. Not yet."

* * *

Back on the battlefield...

The alien robot raised its left fist for another strike and the X-1 raised its right in response. The larger machine seemed to have the advantage, but the boys pushed back with all the strength they could muster, straining the X-1's servomotors and their own willpower.

Suddenly, as they fell back into a state of unison, the feeling of tranquility returned, stronger than before. A strange warmth blossomed in their chests, accompanied by a faint white glow in their eyes. Time appeared to have slowed to a crawl, while their machine held back the colossal fist with a single hand.

"This feels… different..." Raito said, stopping in his tracks as the world seemed to give them a moment to catch their breath.

"Yes..." Maito added, equally transfixed.

Raito reacted and, to his surprise, Maito mirrored his motions completely. As they struggled to understand what was happening, they realized they could hear each other's heartbeats… and then each other's thoughts.

"_What the…" _Maito thought.

"_Can you… hear me?"_

"_I… can! What the..."_

"_Wait..." _Raito recalled. _"Don't you remember hearing about something like this?"_

"_Could it be…?"_

Two words came to their minds simultaneously.

"_Full… Synchro?"_

Then the flow of time seemed to return to normal, and the considerably smaller hand punched through the larger, tearing the entire arm to pieces all the way to the shoulder. The light dissipated right after that, along with the strange mind link, leaving the two boys elated and perplexed in equal measure. The MEC troopers finished reloading and took advantage of the alien's stunned state to shoot off the horns one by one, aided by the figure still weaving through the sky and the Gespenst's Slash Rippers.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Laboratory's mission control room…

"They've finally done it..." Lan said with a smile.

"As we knew they would eventually." Hub added.

"They've got this!" Lan shouted, excitedly catching his wife and brother in a hug.

"Just like the Man From the Stars said." Hub recalled. "It's in all of us… and awakening it is like starting a wildfire."

"What are you talking about?" Ms. Yumi asked.

"It's… a long story." Lan said, not wanting to go into further detail.

"_Damnit, I forgot those two were still here."_ he chided himself.

"_What was that light?"_ she wondered. _"Where have I seen it before?"_

* * *

"Inconceivable..." the alien hissed. "A worthless machine wielding..."

"You lost." Raito retorted, trying to stay composed despite the questions bubbling in his mind. "Get over it and get the hell out."

"Unless of course you want to try your luck with those guys over there." Maito added, emphatically turning the X-1's head to glance at the trio of military machines getting closer.

"I don't know what sort of trickery that was..." the alien spat. "But this isn't over!"

With that, he unceremoniously ejected the cockpit, discarding the rest of the machine. Before the tired boys could make a move or the soldiers could get close enough, it fired some sort of thrusters and darted straight up and out of sight.

"You've got talent, boys." the pilot in the white MEC said appreciatively.

"We'll be watching your progress with great interest." his colleague in the red machine added.

"_It still doesn't feel right letting children get involved in this..."_ Captain Devon thought. _"But they did handle themselves quite well today."_

With that, the trio withdrew, before once again boarding some sort of black flying machine hiding in the middle of the clouds.

"That was… intense." Raito said before letting out a sigh of relief.

"I think that's enough for one day." Maito added. "Let's go home."

Above, the armored figure glanced at them one last time, and they felt a warmth emanating from it, as if it were smiling at them.

"I don't know who you are..." Raito said. "But thanks."

The figure waved at them in response and blasted off faster than anyone's eyes could follow.

"Well… let's hope this thing can still fly." Maito said as he tested the rocket booster.

After an uneventful return trip, the two made it back to the Laboratory, finding their companions waiting for them. Dex carried them out of the X-1 on his shoulders, while the others loudly cheered, and as soon as he put them down they found themselves caught in a pincer maneuver by Maria and Aya, who proceeded to unceremoniously squeeze them in a double hug.

"You two..." Aya muttered, dropping the formal and confident heiress facade for a brief moment.

Raito winced in pain as their squeezing made a sudden pain flare in his back.

"Ow… It's nice to feel welcome, but..."

"Are you hurt?" Mayl interrupted, stepping closer with the look of concern only a mother could muster.

"Probably just bruised, but..." he tried to say.

"Come here." she interrupted, grabbing him by the hand and taking him to a small infirmary in the ground floor.

"Don't you think you're overreacting a bit Mom?" he asked along the way.

She did not reply right away, instead locking the door behind them as soon as they were inside.

"Let me see that." she finally said, before proceeding to remove his gloves and coat.

"M-Mom!" he tried to protest as she began to lift the back side of his shirt, being at an age where he was becoming somewhat self-conscious.

"Hold still." she said.

Raito winced as she touched the bare skin of his back.

"Ow!"

After a long pause, she let out a sigh of relief.

"That's probably going to leave a bruise..." she pondered as she examined the skin, roughed up and slightly swollen, but unbroken. "Unless..."

He couldn't see what exactly she was doing, but soon the discomfort abated… replaced by a soothing warmth, as if someone had just wrapped him in a warm blanket.

"I don't know what you just did..." Raito said, visibly relaxing. "But it feels… nice..."

"Good." Mayl replied with a smile, as she kept her hand pressed to his back… glowing softly with the same white light he had manifested earlier.

"I know I can be a handful sometimes..." he said, feeling a little light-headed from the flight and the battle. "But I'm glad you're always there for me Mom..."

"Of course." she replied, letting her touch linger as she hugged him from behind with her free arm and planted a kiss on the top of his head. "No matter how many years go by, you'll always be my little boy."

* * *

A few hours later, at an underground facility somewhere in Western Europe…

"So what do you think off all this, Gilliam?" the Commander asked.

"I think we've obtained some very good results from today's field test… and some interesting insights."

"I may have to revise my stance on a few more things..." the Commander mused. "Our days of attempting to operate in secrecy may be numbered, but I was reluctant to open certain doorways… until now."

Then an intercom buzzed on the desk.

"Yes?" the Commander asked.

"Sir, we've detected an intrusion attempt on our network." a woman's voice said.

"I'm aware of it." the Commander replied, surprisingly calm… and even amused. "Don't worry."

"Sir?" the woman asked in confusion.

"This isn't my first tour of duty, Professor." the Commander said. "I anticipated that someone would try this sooner or later."

"What did you do?" the woman asked, at this point sounding a little concerned.

"A decoy." the Commander explained, sounding rather pleased with himself. "A fake subnet, isolated from our systems. Fifty petabytes of junk data… and some other things that should leave them scratching their heads."

* * *

Elsewhere…

"Is this some sort of joke?" a woman asked, her voice tinged with annoyance.

"Am I laughing, Director?" a man retorted, deadpan.

"SHADO? Kiryu-Kai? Laser Squad? Rebel… star?" the woman continued, sounding like she was on the verge of a headache. "Who would honestly use such names? If this is a code, it's… really stupid."

"I am at a loss, Director."

"What about this… Ayy LMAO?" the woman added, glaring at a screen where a stereotypical gray alien with an oversized head and large orange eyes was staring at her, wearing a tiny party hat. "What does this even mean?!"

"I… have no idea, Director." the man replied, sounding rather dumbfounded.

"This all sounds like something cooked up by a bored teenager." the woman grumbled. "Are you sure you haven't been led on a wild goose chase?"

"We cannot be a hundred percent sure of anything in this life." the man said. "After all, look at us. Still, this time it does look like someone has made fools of us."

"At least we did not end up compromising our systems..." the woman conceded.

"Yes..." the man said. "That was quite the nasty collection of viruses they concealed in the data. Perhaps they were not expecting anyone to bother scanning all of that beforehand."

"Still… we are still no closer to solving this particular mystery." the woman pondered.

* * *

At the end of that afternoon, in Lan's office at the Hikari Laboratory...

"I know you've been working yourselves to the bone… much like I have, so I'll try to keep this short." Lan said during another conference call.

He straightened up and put down the oversized coffee mug on his desk.

"After what Laika told me, I'm almost sure. I still don't know if they're the ones who found the missing orichalcum sample, but the people who wanted to strike a partnership are most likely the ones fighting the aliens in those ugly ass robots."

"It seems that way, yes." Ciel said with a nod.

"Are you thinking about taking them up on their offer?" Lune asked.

"I figure I should at least hear them out." Lan mused. "They went out of their way to help the boys. They're clearly committed… and by the look of it, I think we may have crossed paths already."

"What do you mean?" Cadmus asked.

"Well… I'm sure you remember our little stunt with Sean's second Cyberworld Gate." Hub added.

"Hard to forget something like that..." Ciel said with a nod.

"What if I told you..." Hub continued. "That this… multinational covert outfit has been operating for at least the past twenty years?"

"You mean the mysterious disappearing base?" Cadmus recalled.

"That… actually explains a thing or two." Ciel pondered.

"What if I told you that I can't remember anything at all about my time in that place?" Lan added. "Or that escort they sent with us?"

"What?" Ciel asked.

"Right." Cadmus recalled. "He did mention that on one of our earlier calls."

"It's as if… the whole thing had been wiped from my memory." Lan elaborated. "I remember the flight there… but little else. There are gaps in my memory that can't be explained otherwise… but Hub remembers everything."

"And what exactly do you remember?" Lune asked.

"A large underground complex, with metallic walls." Hub recalled. "Hangars with launch tunnels carved into the bedrock and concealed hatches on the surface. Some of the people there were wearing an insignia very similar to what Laika described."

"There's something else you should know too..." Lan said. "Two things, actually. The first is that our librarian friend is back."

"I had the feeling we hadn't seen the last of him." Cadmus said with a nod. "After all this time, I'm still not quite sure what he's planning in the middle of all of this."

"From what I've seen so far, I can tell he's on our side, but he's back to being infuriatingly cryptic." Lan said. "Thankfully, he's kept his speeches shorter this time."

"The librarian?" Lune asked. "You mean..."

"Yes, Mother." Cadmus said. "Him. Sometimes I still struggle to believe that I stood face to face with Raziel Hamalakh, the Keeper of Knowledge."

"I can't blame you for wondering if you had lost your mind." Lune said with a smirk. "But next to all the weird things that happened back then, that was a drop in the bucket."

"We definitely didn't expect someone like him to be so chatty either." Lan said. "I'm guessing he spends too much time stuffed in his library."

Cadmus then rolled his eyes and a look of pure embarrassment appeared on his face.

"And I was so confused by it all, I ended up asking him for sentimental advice like a damn teenager..."

"I don't think you mentioned that part before..." Ciel said, struggling to keep a straight face.

"I was such a neurotic idiot back then..." he said, shaking his head. "I just blurted it out. Guess I was relieved to get it off my chest."

Lune glanced at him, trying to stifle a bout of laughter after what she had just heard.

"I'll bet he wasn't expecting that..."

"But looking back..." Cadmus recalled. "He knew. He knew it all along. About Atlantis, the Apotheosis… and the Phantom Host. He knew about it all, and he dropped some hints about it even back then."

"It definitely looks like whatever game he's playing, it's a long one." Lan noted.

"I'm just glad the old me didn't find that cave." Cadmus said with a shudder, unwilling to even consider the implications.

"He did say that none of us were ready for this crap back then, and that this was one of the reasons why he didn't tell us when we were younger." Lan said. "He also flat out stated that the Apotheosis and the Leonarch are connected… and that there are two more somewhere out there."

"Two more?" Ciel asked with a concerned look on her face.

"How did he put it?" Lan recalled. "The Man and the Lion have already shown themselves. The Ram will come eventually, but… the Eagle is lost and… needs to find its way?"

"Are you sure that's what he said?" Cadmus asked, looking just as concerned as Ciel.

"Something like that, yes." Lan confirmed with a nod.

"Knowing that there could be four of those out there is already unsettling enough..." Cadmus said. "But Eagle, Lion, Ram and Man… No, this has to be a some kind of joke."

"What do you mean?" Hub asked.

"Right..." Lune said. "You're probably not familiar with that… We'll explain later."

"And what's the second thing you wanted to tell us?" Ciel asked.

"Well..." Lan said before putting a picture of the strange armored figure that had come to the X-1's rescue on the screen. "This happened."

"Well now..." Lune teased. "It's nice to have hobbies and all, but I'm not sure that's the kind of thing your wife would approve of."

"Are you kidding?" Lan retorted. "She's already asked me a bunch of questions. She thinks it's adorable… but I'm more concerned about where it came from… and who exactly could even put together something like this."

"Mayl has always had good taste." a familiar voice whispered in the Imperative's ear, clearly amused. Once again, nobody else seemed to hear it.

"Flight, high agility, directed energy beams and force fields..." Hub listed off. "Looks like something from the other side of the mirror, to be honest."

"I think the other me probably has other things on her mind." Ciel said with a smile. "But yes, that thing looks adorable, whatever it is."

Behind him, the Imperative could hear a familiar voice chuckling, still unnoticed by the others.

"Anyway..." Hub added. "About this oh-so-elusive bunch. It looks those people want the same thing we do… and our boys and girls can't be expected to spend their whole time back and forth putting out fires."

"Not to mention that if things keep going at this rate, their machines will be spending more time in repairs or in transit than in actual combat." Lan added. "We just don't have enough speed and reach right now. Even the flight units won't be able to fix that."

"The information came from a very reliable source." Laika said as he stepped into view of the camera next to the twins. "It looks like Pride knew but the person in charge had asked for her discretion so we wouldn't get on each other's way. Ridiculous."

"Cut her some slack." Lan said. "If every head of state shared classified information with personal friends, can you imagine the pandemonium?"

"True." Laika conceded. "After all, I only found out about it because an old friend of mine ended up getting recruited. I'll just ask that you don't mention this tidbit to anyone else. Don't want to get him in trouble for it."

"Our lips are sealed." Ciel said with a nod.

"So what do you think?" Hub asked. "If we go ahead and contact them, they're probably going to ask about the orichalcum sooner or later… and possibly the Titanium X too."

"You two have always been good judges of character for the most part." Ciel said. "If you think we can trust them, then at least we can hear them out."

"I'm glad we agree then." Hub said with a smile. "There's just one more thing we need to take care of before we contact them."

"We're expecting someone." Lan elaborated. "Someone you're already familiar with."

Then the intercom on Lan's desk buzzed and he answered.

"Yes?"

"Dr. Hikari, someone is here to see you." Ms. Yumi informed. "One Dr. Xavier Light?"

"Speak of the angel." Lan said, much to his assistant's confusion. "Oh, don't mind me. I'll be right over."

With that, he ran out of the office.

"It's almost scary what those two can do when they put their heads together..." Hub remarked.

"_You don't even know the half of it..."_ Cadmus thought.

"Definitely. The way they bounce ideas off of each other..." Cadmus said, glancing at Ciel. "The way they get each other fired up in a self-perpetuating reaction… Can you imagine if we went and got one or two more of her?"

"If you don't mind the thought of us taking over the multiverse..." Ciel joked with a sheepish grin.

Again, the familiar voice chuckled and no one else seemed to hear it.

"It makes no difference to me." Cadmus retorted with a shrug. "You are already our… my Empress."

"Honestly, I think she can be the most dangerous of us all sometimes." the voice whispered in jest.

In the Hikari Laboratory's ground floor...

A handsome man with ruffled brown hair and deep blue eyes framed by glasses with round lenses stood in the reception area, with facial features similar to Lan's but looking at least a couple of years older. He was wearing a white turtleneck sweater and blue jeans with blue running shoes, elegant and serene despite the trying times. As he saw Lan coming down to greet him, he waved with his left hand, where a golden wedding ring was on display.

"Cousin!" Lan said excitedly. "Good to see you again!"

"You're related?" Tron asked, caught by surprise as she studied the man's face. "I think I see a resemblance..."

"Distant cousins, yes." the man said with a smile. "I've been meaning to drop in for another visit for a long time now."

"Come on in!" Lan said as he ushered him inside. "I have a lot to show you."

In a hasty walk, Lan led him to his office and as soon as both of them were inside he locked the door.

"Glad you could make it." Lan said as he pulled a chair. "We have a lot to talk about… the Titanium X and… other things."

Lan then abruptly stopped.

"But where are my manners? How was the trip? How's Alia?"

"Radiant." the man said with a smile. "The last twenty years have been very good to us all."

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in Central Asia...

"It appears that things are worse than we thought."

Two men and a woman stood at the top of a cliff, overlooking a ravaged metropolis below, all three of them clad in traditional martial artist gi, clearly worn by many years of use and with the sleeves cut off. One of the men, with short brown hair, was wearing a white one with a red headband, much like the woman. Next to them, the second man was wearing a red gi, seemingly newer, and his golden hair with some signs of graying, reached down to his shoulders, tied in a short ponytail.

"Looks like we picked the worst time for this trip." the man in red said.

"From a certain point of view." the man in white said.

"Hold on now bro..." the man in red said nervously. "I know that look. You're thinking about heading down there, aren't you?"

"To be fair..." the woman chimed in. "This is far from the most ludicrous thing we've done."

"True…" the man in red said. "But goddamn giant robots… and you two are treating it like Tuesday's workout."

"Our fists are honed not only so we can find truth in the heart of battle..." the man in white said. "But also to protect the innocent."

"You've got a point there old buddy." the man in red conceded. "But sometimes I think I'm getting too old for this. I don't know how you two haven't aged a day in twenty years."

The man in red then took a deep breath.

"All right!" he said, psyching himself up. "Time to shake off some rust!"


	11. The Watchful

Chapter 11 – The Watchful

After the previous engagement, things stayed relatively quiet in the eastern hemisphere for a few days. Still unwilling to subject their teenage charges to the rigors of constant fighting, Lan and Hub continued to work on improving their machines while giving them as much downtime as possible given the circumstances.

One late morning, in the gym at the ground floor of Hikari Laboratory...

"C'mon!" Dex encouraged, as he held out his oversized open palm. "Show me what ya got!"

The towering man stood, clad in a worn white gi with a black belt. The sleeves had been cut off, revealing the bulging muscles under a tanned skin, unchanged by the long hours in an office tending to the duties of a public servant. How this man had decided to run for the Mayor's office, Shingo could not fathom. Someone so energetic clearly felt out of place sitting behind a desk all day.

Clad in with green trousers, a short-sleeved white shirt and black running shoes, the bespectacled boy raised his skinny right arm and balled it into a fist.

"Are you sure about this?" he hesitantly asked.

"C'mon!" Dex repeated. "Where did all that fire and fury go?"

Shingo still felt a little awkward at the recollection of his outburst in the overcharged Drill Machine. It had been satisfying, to be sure, but once the battle high had died down he had felt wrong. He did not consider himself a naturally angry person, though he could be abrasive at times, and while the experience had given him a little confidence boost, a small part of him couldn't help wondering if he had gone too far.

Sensing his hesitation, Dex tried to spur him on with a bit of light teasing.

"Do ya need me to get Aya over here?" he asked with a grin.

That had the opposite of the intended effect, causing him to stiffen in place.

"I'm not going to hit her." he hissed, visibly uncomfortable from the mere mention of the name.

"No, but I figure if someone pisses you off hard enough, maybe you'll stop holdin' back. I'm not doin' this for my own amusement, ya know. I need to see just how hard you can hit the way you are now."

"You may be a certified master, but your methods..." Shingo retorted with a frown.

"Trust me kid." Dex said with a confident grin. "You got a strong heart, but your head's a mess right now. Let's get that sorted before you hurt yourself out there."

The bespectacled boy sighed and looked at the bigger man.

"Fine." he grumbled. "I did ask for this."

He took a deep breath, tensed up and raised his fight fist. Dex effortlessly caught the punch in his open palm and then glanced appraisingly at the boy.

"Well?" Shingo asked a little defensively. "Is this the part you tell me how much I suck?"

"That was better than I expected, actually." Dex said with a smile. "I was afraid all that time indoors readin' books and playin' videogames would have left you in worse shape."

"The gaming did help train my reflexes though." Shingo pointed out.

"I'm not gonna lie kid." Dex said with a nod. "You need work, but as long as your will stays strong, you'll be fine."

There was something about the conviction in his tone and the determined glimmer in his eyes that made the skinny bespectacled boy feel a little hopeful.

"_Maybe I can make something of myself after all..."_

"Now tell me..." the towering man added. "What makes you tick boy? What are you fightin' for?"

"The same as everyone else around here." Shingo retorted with a shrug. "The world. My family."

"It's a good start." Dex said. "But is that all?"

"I wouldn't be much of a brother if I stayed at home and let my little sister go into danger without me." Shingo conceded, almost expecting Dex to make fun of him. Yet again he was surprised by the musclebound man's reaction.

"I gotta respect that." Dex said with a nod and a serious expression. "Not too different from my reasons for bein' here. After all, all of you kids and your parents… you're all like family to old Dex."

"I thought you were here because the Professors are letting you live out your Mazinger Z fantasies." a familiar girl's voice remarked.

"In fact..." Aya added with a smile as she stepped into view. "This has to be a dream come true. A sidekick taking center stage and getting to mentor the new generation."

"Are you calling him irrelevant?" Shingo hissed indignantly. "Useless?"

"No, you fool." she retorted with a look of disdain. "Must you twist everything that comes out of my mouth?"

She then turned to Dex and smiled.

"My mother told me plenty of stories about the old days."

"Figures she would have." Dex remarked.

"I do not know if she ever told you this…" Aya mused. "But while you two would often end up butting heads due to differences in temperament, she always did have a certain appreciation for you."

"Oh?" Dex asked, playing a little coy.

While Yai had more often displayed her acerbic tongue than dished out praise in her younger days, he had known her true character and feelings about those around her for a very long time. The bonds forged during their childhood still remained strong and while they did not get to see each other very often anymore outside public ceremonies, she did make it a point to stay in touch with not only the Hikari family but him as well during the winter holidays and his birthday. Still, he was surprised – and a little embarrassed – to know that the younger generation shared Yai's opinion of him.

"Not only because of your size and strength." Aya clarified. "Or your fighting skills. No. She told me that you have a big heart underneath all that muscle and keep striving to better yourself. I can see what she meant."

"I dunno what to say, lil' lady." Dex said, feeling a little self-conscious. "I got tired of just tryin' to be like Lan or my Master. All I ever needed to be was the best I could be."

Twenty years prior, tired of simply being the big and somewhat chubby classmate who could never beat Lan in a Net Battle, he had tried to reinvent himself. A certain legendary martial artist, having put his wandering days behind him for a time, had led him on a strenuous and satisfying journey of self-improvement and changed his life forever. Eventually though, after being reshaped by his master's teachings, Dex had decided to continue on his own path, alongside his two brothers – one by birth and one by bonds. Ryu had seemingly disappeared without an explanation five years prior, but Dex knew his old master made a habit of that and did not concern himself too much, secure in the knowledge that they would meet again.

An accomplished martial artist in his own right, Dex considered it an honor to coach his old friends' children and keep them safe on the battlefield, and the fact that the twins had put something like the Guts Machine together for him – a powerful robot but also a reminder of their bond and an homage to the old animated shows they used to watch together – was something that he still found profoundly moving to that day.

Casting such thoughts aside, Dex tried to seize the opportunity to impart some words of wisdom to his newest pupil.

"Get it, boy?" he added, turning to Shingo. "Don't use anyone as your yardstick."

"What do you mean?" Aya asked, unsure what he was talking about.

"None of your business." Shingo snapped, once again feeling a growing annoyance at her presence, heightened by the reminder of his feelings of inadequacy.

"Must you always be like this?" she snapped back.

"_Jeez..." _Dex thought. _"Mayl wasn't kiddin' about these two… If one of 'em says the sky's blue..."_

As they prepared to engage in another round of arguing and Dex racked his mind for a way to put an end to it, Maria stepped into the gym floor.

She took one quick glance at the pair and rolled her eyes.

"_Idiots..."_ she thought, finding herself once again in the unenviable position of trying to stop her brother and her best friend from acting like children.

With the two still unaware of her presence, she dashed up behind them and promptly pulled the dreaded squirt bottle Mayl had entrusted her with out of her backpack.

"Well, maybe if you weren't always sticking your nose in other people's business..." Shingo growled.

"Perhaps if you were not a foul-tempered fool..." Aya retorted.

"Perhaps if thy ladyship wouldst not speak in such an overly pompous manner..." Shingo retorted, imitating her usual tone.

"What?!" Aya growled, baring her teeth.

"Nobody talks like that, except pretentious asses!" he snapped.

"Why you insufferable-" she fumed before being cut off as Maria unceremoniously squirted both of them three times for good measure, startling them out of it.

"Gah! My coif!" Aya lamented as droplets dripped down her head.

"Whatever..." Shingo grumbled, before turning and walking away, indifferent to his soaked hair.

An awkward silence briefly took hold as the three just stood there.

"I suppose I was acting like a fool..." Aya conceded once Shingo was out of earshot.

"Both of you were." Maria pointed out. "Just what's the deal with you two?"

"I… still don't know." Aya admitted, falling into a pensive mood now that the cause of her irritation was out of sight. "At this point I feel myself falling into the same pattern just because it has been this way for so long."

"Well, that's just ridiculous." Maria retorted. "Aren't you always so proud of your upbringing and manners?"

"You do have a point..." Aya conceded, noticeably embarrassed at her loss of control. "Nobody else sets me off this way… and that bothers me, especially since I still do not know why."

"Well, based on my extensive life experience..." Dex chimed in. "I've got a few ideas about that..."

"Do… tell..." Aya said hesitantly, glancing at him.

"Do you remember when it started?" Dex asked.

"About… two or three years ago..." Aya recalled.

"Just out of the blue?" Dex asked, rubbing his chin.

"Actually..." Maria recalled. "If memory serves, he suddenly got really sick and missed school for two weeks… and when he started attending again he couldn't even stand to look at Aya. He still refuses to say her name."

"I still have no idea what could have possibly started this." Aya insisted. "You know me better than most. In fact, you are practically a sister to me. Do you think I would willingly drive someone to these lengths? Especially someone this close to you?"

"No..." Maria said, shaking her head. "There's something else going on here..."

"From my experience, few things can twist a teenage boy like that..." Dex mused.

Then his eyes lit up and he glanced at Aya.

"Apart from..." he added.

"Apart from what?" Aya asked.

"The way he looked at you just now..." Dex said with a somber expression. "That was anger born from pain. Mark my words. He's got a wound inside of him… and it's tied to you somehow."

"What would that have to do with me?" Aya asked, utterly confused.

"Dunno." Dex retorted with a shrug. "You should probably ask yourself that."

"Indeed, what would that have to do with you?" Maria mused, staring intently at Aya.

"W-Why are you asking me?" Aya protested. "You may be my best friend, but he is your brother. Why would I know anything about that?"

"That's funny..." Maria remarked, her brow furrowed in concentration as she recalled something. "Before you two first started acting like this… I could have sworn..."

"You could have sworn what?" Aya asked.

"Hold that thought..." Maria said, with a sudden flash of insight. "I have to check something with my idiot brother… if I can get him to talk. In the meantime, do try not to get caught up in more arguments."

* * *

Meanwhile, upstairs in Lan's office...

"I thought I'd let you know and hear your thoughts before going through with this." Lan said as he sat on a small black two seat couch.

Next to him, Yai, who had shown up for a visit an hour earlier, was sipping some green tea from a porcelain cup.

"I appreciate being kept informed..." she said. "But you should know by now that you don't need my permission."

"Are you sure about this?" Lan asked.

"We're your sponsors, not your bosses." Yai said with a smile. "If we couldn't trust your judgement after all these years, we wouldn't have gone all in on this… or let children pilot your machines, especially one of our daughters."

"Well then… thanks for the vote of confidence." Lan said, still a little embarrassed at her earnest praise even after all those years.

"What happened to your old bravado?" Yai asked with a smile, recalling their younger days. "You used to rush into things without a second thought."

"I guess I had to grow up eventually..." Lan said rather sheepishly. "It's not just my skin on the line anymore, so I have to be where I can do the most good… and actually use my head."

"Besides…" he added with a guilty look on his face. "I couldn't keep being so impulsive. I already made Mayl cry enough times when we were kids."

"I know you." Yai remarked, lightly patting his cheek. "You'd jump into a pit of snakes or run into a fire if you thought you could save someone. It's probably taking all your restraint to stay here and keep working instead of jumping into the X-1 yourself."

"Am I really that easy to read?" Lan asked with a sheepish smile.

"I've had plenty of time to figure you out." she said with a soft smile of her own. "You and my dear husband are cut from the same cloth, even if his tact was much more lacking back then. But… I'm glad you both learned to be a little more considerate of other people's feelings."

"I have to admit I miss playing hero a bit." Lan conceded. "I may have traded the front line for the lab, but I'm not gonna stay put forever."

"I thought you'd say that." she said with a grin. "You were never the type to leave things in other people's hands."

"I can bear it a bit longer." Lan said. "As long as it means I can put in some extra work to make sure those kids don't… get themselves hurt out there."

"We're all in danger until those mongrels have been driven out." Yai pointed out. "Besides, no daughter of mine would have agreed to be a simple bystander in all of this. If I had forbidden her from joining, she would probably have just run straight here anyway. I imagine it's the same with all the others."

"You sound like you envy her sometimes..." Lan noted.

"All those times in our younger years when you and your brother would rush into danger and save the day." she reminisced. "I helped with what I could, but part of me wondered what it would be like to be in the thick of it like you two."

"That reminds me..." Lan recalled with a mischievous smile on his face. "Did you ever manage to beat the eggshell head in a Net Battle like you set out to do?"

"We never got around to it." Yai said, shaking her head before a grin crossed her face. "Though I did beat him in other ways."

"Too much information, Yai." Lan teased.

"Oh you!" she scoffed, playfully punching his shoulder. "How does Mayl put up with your smart mouth every day?"

"You'd have to ask her." he said with a shrug, still with a mischievous look on his face.

"Seriously though, seeing how happy you've made her, I'm glad you decided to make a move when you did." she said with a fond smile.

"So am I." Lan said, before letting out a chuckle. "I still can't believe it took me that long to see what was in front of me."

"Well, I'm glad Patch didn't turn out as thick as you." Yai said with a scoff. "No offense."

"None taken." Lan said with a shrug. "But I have to admit, there's something fitting about my boy getting along so well with my favorite old teacher's daughter. They're still young and I don't know if it's just puppy love, but..."

"They do look cute together." Yai said with a brief smile, before her expression darkened. "I just don't know what to do about Aya."

"I think this teamwork will be good for her and Shingo, at least." Lan said. "I hope it'll give him some more self-confidence… and teach them to get along."

"I just wonder what happened between them." Yai said, looking genuinely sad. "They're both good kids, but you put them together in the same room and..."

"Like cat and dog, yeah." Lan lamented. "Nobody gets them as riled up as each other… but they weren't always like this."

"I know my daughter." Yai said with a mixture of affection and frustration. "Her heart is in the right place, but she has a little too much of my younger self. Sometimes her tact can be a bit lacking and she can seem conceited. His temper doesn't help matters, but neither does hers. As for him, I don't know why he has such a chip on his shoulder, but it feels like he's desperate to prove his worth… to himself most of all."

"You like him, don't you?" he asked with certainty.

"Yes, and not just because of who his mother is." Yai said with a nod. "He's smart, kind and sensitive, but he does need to take better care of himself… especially that hair."

Indeed the boy seemed to have drawn the short straw in that regard, inheriting his father's unruly hair that refused to bend to a comb and could only be kept down with extra strength gel or regular trimmings.

"Is that all?" Lan teased.

"Well, I am a certified genius, in case you forgot." Yai proudly reminded him. "We have to look out for one another."

"Speaking of geniuses… when is the eggshell head coming to visit anyway?"

"He… has his own battles to fight." Yai said, with a momentary look of sadness on her face.

"Ah. Wrestling boardroom sharks?"

"Among other things." Yai said with a nod.

"_Sorry Lan, but there are things he's still not ready to talk about." _she thought sadly. _"Not with you… His pride won't let him."_

Then the door opened and the man calling himself Xavier Light stepped inside.

"Well well..." Yai remarked, her expression brightening up as she glanced at him. "I should have known you wouldn't be able to stay out of this."

"I would have come sooner." the man said, stepping closer to the couch. "But there were some… technical issues."

With a smile, Yai set the cup down on the short metallic coffee table, then stood up, stepped closer to him and carefully removed his glasses.

"You know..." she said, intently studying his face. "The older Lan and Hub get, the more closely they resemble you… Dr. Light."

"Dr. Light was my father." he said, looking a little embarrassed. "But if I can help them get to my age without having to endure half of what I had, then I'll consider that a victory."

Yai nodded and put his glasses back on his face.

"I share your sentiment." she said resolutely.

She then checked her wristwatch and turned to Lan again.

"I have to get home. Ako is waiting. Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help."

"Well, I do have one question." Lan said. "Why did you bring in that lawyer? I find it hard to believe you'd do that just because of copyright lawsuits."

A mischievous smile appeared on her face.

"It's a surprise. Tanaka is very good at his work and has a very specific set of instructions. Just keep doing what you usually do for now. Well then, take care. I'll be back later."

With that, she stepped outside, leaving the two men alone.

"Funny how things turn out, isn't it?" Lan remarked, glancing at Xavier.

"You don't know the half of it."

"Oh?" Lan asked.

"What happened twenty years ago was just the beginning." the man said. "You wouldn't believe some of the other things we've seen out there… in the X-Zone."

"Really now?" Lan asked with an amused smirk.

"Don't give me that look." Xavier retorted, mirroring his smirk. "I didn't pick the name."

"If we make it through this, we'll have to sit down and have a nice long chat about it." Lan said.

"Count on it. For now though, the package for the Variable Weapons System is ready. Everything I was able to compile, with a few extras my brother threw in. The boys are in for a surprise."

"Are you sure about this?" Lan asked hesitantly.

"The gloves are off, Lan." Xavier said, before raising his right hand. "I'm not holding anything back this time. Discretion be damned."

"I appreciate it." Lan said with a nod. "Now that you're here, maybe we can finally figure out how to improve the Titanium X's purity and the X-1's energy efficiency."

The bespectacled professor closed his fist and a white light blossomed in it.

"I wasn't kidding earlier." he added. "I may be at peace now, but I'll do everything I can to spare you and yours the kind of pain I had to endure."

He then reached for a pouch hanging from his belt and pulled from it a chunk of some shiny crystalline substance, slightly bigger than his fist, which reacted to his touch and lit up with the same radiance.

"In fact, I think it may be time to start pulling all the stops. Time to introduce you to my friend Usul."

* * *

A couple of hours later…

Alone in his office, Lan sighed, checked the time on the computer screen and closed the files he was working on. With the preceding events still fresh in his memory, and other concerns demanding his attention, his work was slowing down. He glanced hesitantly at the half drained mug of coffee on his desk and shook his head before pushing it away.

"That's quite enough." he said to himself, before turning his attention back to the screen directly in front of him.

"_Time to see what they're about."_ he thought as he gripped the computer mouse.

Taking the file he had been sent, he opened the executable and entered the codes. A moment later, the file decompressed and ran itself, and a message soon appeared on the screen.

**Establishing secure connection.**

Moments later, a window appeared on the screen, and in it he saw the image of a dimly lit chamber, where a figure in a green sweater was staring at him, its features obscured.

"Hello Commander." the figure said with a man's voice, once again eerily familiar.

"Were you just sitting around all day waiting for me to call?" Lan asked rather irreverently.

"The conveniences of network technology." the man replied, rather deadpan. "I can do most of my work from my desk. But you did not contact me simply to discuss the merits of your grandfather's accomplishments, did you?"

"I suppose not." Lan said, surprised that his interlocutor appeared to possess some semblance of a sense of humor. "For starters, I do believe I owe you my thanks for going out of your way to give the boys a hand."

"Think nothing of it." the man said, composed and professional. "Though our methods may differ, we are on the same side, and I personally hold a considerable amount of respect for your work."

"Have we met before?" Lan asked, still a little suspicious and once again haunted by the strange sense of familiarity.

"Perhaps. But now is not the time to reminisce, is it? These invaders are stepping up their offensive, and while their attacks remain random and indiscriminate for the most part, they do appear to have developed some sort of fixation for some members of your team."

"To put it mildly." Lan said with a scowl. "I had my doubts about returning the call, but something tells me you didn't send your people to help the boys just to score brownie points with me."

"I did not. They are a part of this world's defenders and any harm to them would diminish Earth as a whole."

"Well, you've got my attention." Lan said. "The least I can do is hear you out and make an informed choice."

"You have already heard my proposal." the Commander said. "But I can understand your caution."

"I'm not gonna lie." Lan said. "The last few weeks have had us running ragged. There aren't enough hours in the day to get things done and I don't want those children to spend their whole time rushing to put out fires across the world."

"Since you are being honest, it would be rude of me not to reciprocate." the Commander said. "Our troops are skilled and highly trained… for the most part. But our armaments and machines are geared for mass production and we are still held back by… other constraints."

"Such as?"

"We are in the middle of an arms race." the Commander elaborated. "We have an entire planet to watch over, and the enemy can strike at any time and place. We do not have the luxury of focusing our resources on a small team."

"Right." Lan said. "To be honest, I still feel a bit overwhelmed by all of this. My colleagues went for the Pantheon Corps approach, but they had a head start in the tech department."

"I suppose in the end neither of us could put an end to this conflict by ourselves." the Commander remarked. "Hence our need to delegate, to find others willing and able to fight. Even if we could somehow construct one singular invincible machine, we cannot be everywhere at once."

"Yes, but make no mistake." Lan said. "There's a clear and present threat to the world, but to me this is personal. I'm putting everything into making sure those children make it through this in one piece."

"Involving children in my war was not a line I was willing to cross." the Commander noted rather somberly. "I can imagine it was a difficult decision on your part. Still, given your past exploits, it is unsurprising that your team would perform so remarkably well."

"Your war?" Lan asked.

"My Long War. A story for later, perhaps. What matters now is that Earth emerges victorious in this campaign, and I believe our knowledge and resources would accomplish more if pooled together."

"Your machines are a bit ugly, but they get the job done." Lan noted. "I'm guessing you're not satisfied with them yet though."

"You are correct. As the aliens bring new weapons to the field, it is becoming a challenge to keep up. We are implementing some ideas but are still constrained by materials and power sources. I believe you have some answers for that."

"Meaning the Titanium X..." Lan noted, playing coy. "And maybe a certain… metal that glitters like fire?"

"Perhaps." the Commander said, briefly echoing his tone before going back to his composed speech. "I will not ask where you obtained those substances, but you are clearly putting them to good use. The truth of the matter is, I already have plans in place… but they are reliant on a power source that cannot be found here. Yours would be an adequate substitute."

"And in return, you're offering to share information and help us get around faster?" Lan asked.

"And to assist with repairing your units." the Commander reminded him. "We have several facilities around the world and an army of engineers. I imagine it must be getting rather tedious and time consuming to recall your machines every time you need to get them back in working condition."

"That's true." Lan conceded. "But this isn't the sort of thing that can be decided with just a couple of phone calls. I trusted the wrong people in the past and those around me paid the price."

Even after twenty years, the memories of the SciLab fire were not fully gone from the back of his mind. While he had been able to overcome the hatred for the man who had preyed on his good intentions, he had also learned caution.

"What do you propose then?" the Commander asked.

"You've clearly rehearsed your speech." Lan said. "But I still need to see with my own eyes who exactly I'm dealing with."

"That is fair." the Commander said flatly. "While I am reluctant to leave my workplace since the invaders could strike again at any moment, I am prepared to extend you an invitation to-"

"Warning." a mechanical voice with a female tone interrupted through what sounded like a PA system. "UFO detected."

* * *

In a radar monitoring station elsewhere in the facility…

"How many are we talking about here?" a uniformed man in the radar room asked.

"Four contacts." a woman replied from her station. "Looks like recon craft."

"Raven 3, 5 and 7, get ready to launch!" an officer on duty called out through the base's PA system. "Alien intrusion. Intercept and eliminate before this facility is compromised."

Two minutes later, through shafts and tunnels dug through the rock, a trio of small black jet fighters with gyroscopic turbines mounted on their wings took flight, emerging on the surface through concealed hatches.

"Get the bastards!" a woman growled from the cockpit of one of the machines.

The three craft quickly scattered, darting in separate directions and acquiring their targets. A moment later, two alien craft, struck by air to air rockets, erupted into fireballs.

"This ET ain't phoning home!" a man in one of the interceptors remarked.

The third human pilot, eager to get things over with, delayed his fire in an attempt to get two simultaneous target locks, only to find the top of his cockpit canopy shredded by a burst of blue energy projectiles from one of the remaining aliens, exposing him to the howling gales kicked up by the craft.

Before he had time to chide himself for his choice, however, both remaining alien craft were consumed by a surge of a strange flaming golden light.

"Alien force destroyed." the female radar technician reported. "One new signal. Unknown."

"What was that?" the Commander asked through the intercom. "Do we have any matches on file for this profile? Any visuals?"

"As a matter of fact..." the Major chimed in. "We do."

"Bloody hell…" Captain Devon remarked as he watched the culmination of the skirmish from a hidden observation post with a pair of binoculars. "What's he doing here?"

He reached for his earpiece and hit the transmit button.

"Commander..."

"I know." the Commander replied tersely.

* * *

In the sky above...

"Attention! You are trespassing on a restricted area." a voice called out through the communication system.

"And you are?" Atreus contested as the half-melted debris of the last alien craft plummeted from the sky around him.

Furious at himself for having slept through the X-1's showdown, he had been racing to check up on his friends before stumbling into the alien scouting force and being rudely interrupted out of nowhere.

"That is classified information."

"And I have diplomatic immunity." Atreus replied, clearly annoyed. "If you are going to hassle me for flying over an empty forest and not have the courtesy of identifying yourselves, then kindly direct any complaints to the nearest embassy of Neo Atlantis. Good day."

* * *

Somewhere underground…

"Commander, are you seeing this?" the man in the radar station asked through the intercom as camera footage was put on display in one of the computer screens on the Commander's desk.

"I am… but what exactly is this machine doing here?"

From the other side of the line, Lan leaned closer to his screen to take a better look.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" he said incredulously at the sight of the image on the Commander's desktop monitor.

"Should we…?" another man's voice chimed in through the comms.

"Don't." the Commander ordered. "Do not engage. Do not provoke the pilot."

"Sir, I know exactly what to do about this." the Captain's voice voice chimed in through the intercom.

"Then go right ahead, Captain." the Commander said. "I trust your judgement."

"It appears that things are about to get more interesting." the enigmatic man noted, turning his attention back to Lan.

"Small world, isn't it?" Lan remarked, surprised and amused in equal measure.

* * *

Minutes later, there was a rumbling across the earth and a few rows of fake trees folded away, revealing some sort of circular metal hatch. Atreus, about to clear the forest, turned around.

"What now?" he wondered.

"Well, this is a surprise, lad." a voice said over the communication system.

From the hatch, a large black form emerged. As it came into view, the design of the Phantom Sentinel was unmistakable.

"A surprise indeed." Atreus agreed as he stared at the machine. "Is that you, Captain Devon?"

"The one and only. But what brings you to this side of the pond?"

"Oh, just out for a nice relaxing stroll." Atreus retorted with a shrug and a dose of irony. "Those… blue wankers had something else in mind though."

"You won't find any more of them around these parts..." the Captain said with a hint of amusement. "Though since you're here, perhaps it's time for proper introductions."

"You're with the rude bunch down there then?"

"I am." the man said, stifling a chuckle. "And trust me when I say that we have matters of interest to discuss with you."

"This machine is one of a kind, as you are well aware." Atreus said. "I am also pressed for time."

He had no reason to be suspicious of the man after the previous encounter, but there was far too much at stake for blind trust.

"Your caution does you credit, but you're safe here." the Captain said. "In fact, as a token of good faith..."

The black machine finished emerging from the hangar and promptly landed on the ground next to the entrance hatch.

"What are you doing?" Atreus asked, caught by surprise.

"I understand. Trust isn't something you can demand or something you should give without thinking… so I'm meeting you halfway."

"What about all those hidden anti-air batteries locking onto me even as we speak?" Atreus pointed out.

"Shit!" someone underground cried out.

"You heard the gentleman." the Captain said in a rather annoyed tone, loud enough to make sure everyone involved heard him through the earpiece's microphone. "Turn those bloody things off!"

"Commander?" the soldier overseeing the turret central controls asked through the radio.

"Do it." the Commander ordered. "Stand down."

* * *

A few moments later…

"All right then." Atreus said as he finally stood on foot, face to face with the elusive Captain Devon, who turned out to be a handsome dark haired man in his late twenties who looked like he wouldn't be out of place in an old spy movie. "What exactly is this all about?"

The man was clad in a strange piloting suit made of some sort of bluish-gray synthetic material covering his body from the neck down, with a thick breastplate and shoulderpads. A strange hood, made of the same material, seemed to cover his cheeks and the back of his head, circling around his forehead but leaving the crown of the head exposed, with his hair sticking out. A compact pistol, made of some sort of white plastic, was hanging prominently on a holster on his right hip, but he made no motion to reach for it, instead keeping his arms crossed. Overall, the outfit managed to be considerably stranger than the Robot Masters' piloting suits – and that was saying something considering they had been based on outfits from very old superhero shows.

"This is about the future, lad. The future and our roles in it."

"What do you mean?"

"There's someone I'd like to introduce to you."

From the Laboratory, Lan chimed in.

"What's going on over there?"

"See for yourself." the Commander replied, routing the feed from one of the base's exterior security cameras.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Lan cried out.

Remembering that Ciel had equipped both her children with wristwatches that were for all intents and purposes able to function like phones, portable communicators and probably other things, he tried to reach Atreus.

"Professor?" the young man called out in surprise as he answered the incoming call.

"My boy, you have a weird knack for stumbling into important stuff." Lan remarked.

"Tell me about it..." Atreus replied, recalling his initial encounter with the Robot Masters. "At least this time nobody is messing with my comms."

"Uh..." Lan muttered, unfamiliar with the interface of the secure communications program. "Do you mind, Commander?"

"It can be arranged." the Commander chimed in, deducing his intent. "One moment."

"What's this?" Atreus asked, seeing another incoming call notification.

"Take it." Lan instructed.

Unsure what was going on, Atreus complied.

"Ah. Good." the Commander's voice chimed in through the watch. "Now that we are all on the same page, allow me to introduce myself. I represent an organization that is fighting the alien menace. You may have heard of us."

"No need to play coy with me, whoever you are." Atreus said. "I take it you're the one giving the Captain here… and the rude bunch downstairs their orders."

The Captain scoffed at the remark.

"I appreciate your candor, Mr. Atreides." the elusive man replied with a hint of amusement seeping into his tone. "You will have to excuse my men for being on edge right after engaging an alien reconnaissance force, but your assistance in disposing of them before they could report our location is appreciated."

"It just happens that I was made an offer of collaboration a while ago." Lan chimed in. "We've been discussing it with your parents and were in the middle of our second conversation when you showed up."

"Do the others know?" Atreus asked.

"Your grandma and the rest of the adults on the team are aware." Lan explained. "We didn't want to get you or the kids involved until we were sure this was legit, but that's a conversation we'll need to have with everyone soon."

"I do appreciate the gesture of bailing out my friends after they flew a little too far on their own and ran into trouble." Atreus remarked.

"Apparently they weren't the only ones, but yeah, that was nice of them." Lan said. "Did you get a good look at who else showed up?"

"I did. I still don't know who that was." Atreus said.

"_Though I do have my suspicions..."_ he thought.

"Gentlemen, I believe this presents an opportunity." the Commander chimed in. "I was just in the process of discussing with Dr. Hikari the possibility of meeting in person so he can ascertain our trustworthiness with his own eyes. Judging by your machine's speed, bringing him here should pose a small challenge."

"Have you been keeping tabs on all of us?" Atreus asked.

"This is not a machine!" the Father protested from inside the construct.

"Give it a rest." the Son retorted in an annoyed tone. "Nobody cares."

"I did take a cursory glance at your family's background." the Commander clarified. "You are persons of interest, given your roles, your prior history with Dr. Hikari and the forces under your command."

"Professor?" Atreus asked. "You're the one in charge here. I'm just the force multiplier."

"No, you're not, but he's got a point." Lan noted. "You or Sage could get me there and back before dinner. Would that be OK with you?"

"Are you kidding?" Atreus asked with a smile. "After all the hard work you're putting in, it's the least I can do."

Truth be told, he was eager at the opportunity to do something for a friend of the family who also happened to be one of his childhood heroes.

"The construct is not a taxi, boy." the Father grumbled.

"Ignore him." the Son added. "You know how contrarian he likes to be."

"Yeah, he hasn't changed at all in the time I've known him." Lan agreed.

"Did you… know each other before all of this started?" Atreus asked.

"Yeah. Your parents asked us for a hand when they found that thing's resting place." Lan explained. "In fact, I think it's about time we all had a long conversation about this once we can get your parents, Hub and your sister together in one place."

Lan then turned his attention to the Commander.

"When would be a good time for this face to face meeting?"

"Whenever you choose." the Commander said. "I am not planning to go anywhere."

"Well then..." Lan replied, imitating the Commander's tone on the first call. "We will be in touch, Commander."

The Major smirked in amusement, but did not comment.

With the current business concluded, Atreus turned his attention back to the man still patiently standing in front of him.

"Nice to finally make your acquaintance in person, Captain." Atreus said with a polite nod.

"Likewise, lad." the Captain replied, offering his hand, which Atreus shook firmly without hesitation.

"It's good to finally put a face to the name." Atreus added. "I get the feeling we'll be seeing more of each other in the near future."

Meanwhile, through the exterior security camera feed, a feminine figure in a khaki dress uniform with a green sweater was following the entire exchange intently.

"_There's… something familiar about that boy… Have I seen him before somewhere?"_

* * *

A few moments later, as the Apotheosis blasted off through the sky, the Commander sat at his desk with his hands clasped together and his elbows resting on the surface.

"Small world, is it not?" he remarked.

"Indeed." the Major said, standing in front of his desk.

"_Maybe it's j__ust the same__ patterns __repeating themselves__, but…" _the purple haired man thought with a frown._ "__What is it with young people stumbling into such horrendously powerful weapons… __or inheriting them__?__"_

"I know that look, Gilliam." the Commander remarked. "Is something on your mind?"

"Before we met and this campaign began, Asaru..." the Major pondered. "From what you said, there were no humanoid weapons like these in this world, correct?"

"At least that I know of." the Commander said. "Nobody else was using this type of armaments here, and I did not expect anyone to until you talked me into it."

"How is it then..." the Major wondered. "That the Robot Masters and the Pantheon exist? That we have certified Super Robots that would have taken years to assemble running around, just in time to respond to this invasion?"

"Do you have any ideas about that?" the Commander asked.

"The Apotheosis and the Leonarch actively refuse to be analyzed." the Major pondered. "We know this much from our encounters with the former and the attempts the Queen's scientists made to examine the latter. Their exchange suggests that they were unearthed somewhere. The rest of the machines we have seen so far were clearly manufactured, however… just like ours."

"It would have taken far too long for assemble forces of this caliber for them to be ready on time." the Commander mused. "Which means..."

"They knew." the Major said with a nod. "I imagine that they tried to warn others, but few listened, much like happened to other men in other places who then took matters into their own hands. The question is… how did they know?"

"Another mystery to ponder..."

"I should be happy that they did not go the way of Bian Zoldark when their warnings were ignored..." the Major mused. "But we are still missing pieces of this puzzle."

"Ah." the Commander said with a nod. "The scientist you mentioned. I know a thing or two about what happens when men of science feel scorned… or suffer from unbridled ambition."

"From what you've told me..." the Major noted. "This Moira Vahlen could easily be more terrifying than Bian."

"That's one way of putting it..." the Commander said, his composure cracking for a brief moment and betraying a certain discomfort. "I suppose I should be glad she never got the idea of delving into… giant robots."

"Right..." the Major recalled. "But strictly speaking, you are not entirely new to this type of armaments."

"The original MEC Trooper designs were much smaller in scale… and I did not much care for their control interface." the Commander reminisced with a bitter scowl. "I'll be glad if I never need to use those again. As for the Sparks and the Enforcer, they were designed as infantry models first and foremost. The SHIV is a slightly different story."

The Commander paused for a moment and then let out a deep sigh.

"You know… It's funny. I think I've spoken more in the last two years than in the preceding thirty."

"There are few who understand the burden those such as us carry." the Major noted. "I don't know how long this conflict will last and I do have my own mission here, but I see no reason not to stay in touch once this partnership is concluded."

"I would like that. But tell me, are you planning to resume your search for Elpis?"

"Once I have helped you put an end to this… and located a certain missing person."

* * *

Later that day, in a meeting room at the Laboratory...

"All right." Lan said as he stood before the pilots under his care with Hub by his side. "Listen up."

He cleared his throat and then continued.

"By now it's no secret to any of us that there's some kind of covert outfit fighting the aliens all over the place."

"We had our suspicions since that Gespenst showed up in Nova Vinea." Hub added. "That was pretty much confirmed when those other machines started appearing all over the world."

"I take it that's not the only reason you have called us here." Aya deduced, much calmer than earlier.

"Right." Lan said with a nod. "The truth is, one of the people in charge contacted me a while ago with an offer to work together and share information. Sorry we didn't tell you earlier, but we wanted to be sure they were on the level."

"That's what adults are for." Raito said with a shrug. "As long as you think we can trust them, that's good enough for me."

"We'll have a better idea of who we're dealing with in a few hours." Lan said. "I'm paying them a visit."

Outside the window, a familiar white form flew into view. The Apotheosis raised a hand to wave at them and then moved its head closer to one of the open windows.

"Hi everyone." Atreus said. "Glad you're doing well."

"Congratulations on the flight, by the way." Amelia added. "Glad you made it back in one piece."

"It looks like my ride is here." Lan said with a smile. "But what's Amelia doing here?"

"Well, the Hoplon isn't fast enough to keep up just yet." Amelia explained. "Besides, knowing you two, it felt like a good idea to have an extra pair of eyes on the spot."

"Are you expecting trouble?" Shingo asked with a concerned frown.

"That group hasn't given us any reason to distrust them for now." Lan said. "But I've had people take advantage of my goodwill before and there's too much at stake here."

"Besides, the place we're headed to did get buzzed by a few of those pesky drones earlier today." Atreus pointed out.

"Which brings us to the second topic." Lan added, turning back to his young charges. "I'd like you to head to the harbor and get your machines on standby in the Morskoy Lev. The place we're headed to is inland so Laika has plotted a course for the closest possible deployment point."

"It'll probably take several hours to get the sub in position, but in this case it's best to have a backup plan." Hub pondered.

"Kalinka has been working like crazy to improve the speed and reactor output too." Lan reminded him. "If anyone can get something that big to move faster, it's probably her."

"Well then..." Amelia said as the construct extended an open hand towards the window. "Shall we?"

Lan nodded, walked up to the window and opened it fully.

"Don't try this at home, kids." he quipped with a quick glance over his shoulder before climbing up and hopping onto the waiting palm.

"See you all soon." Atreus added as he carefully brought up the hand, feeling an ironic sense of deja vu as he recalled his inaugural battle.

The trip was uneventful, but as Lan found himself sitting in the cockpit, which had already conjured an extra seat for Amelia and then another for him, a random thought crossed his mind.

"_It feels kind of weird to be back here… like this..."_

As he studied the faces of the siblings, he couldn't help smiling.

"_Despite everything, it looks like they're coping with it. I didn't expect to see her here, but it's always nice to know that someone has your back."_

Moments later, another thought crossed his mind.

"_They're growing up so fast… I remember how small they were back in the day. In fact..."_

Lan quirked an eyebrow as another thread of thought formed in his mind, recalling his earlier conversation with Yai about resembling someone else.

"_The older he gets… the more he reminds me of..."_

As the image of a tall figure clad in red and armed with sword and shield flashed through his mind, Lan froze on his seat.

"_No way… it can't be..."_

As he looked around the crystalline chamber that felt more like a small ancient shrine than the cockpit of a machine, a nagging sense of familiarity assaulted him. An old memory, nearly forgotten, emerged and a sight he had witnessed through a certain mirror in the depths of the Black Earth became a little clearer. A boy and a girl, whose faces he had been unable to fully see given the distortion of the image, side by side.

"_What were you trying to tell me back then, Serenade?"_ he silently wondered. _"How does all this tie together?"_

Less than two hours later, the construct was descending towards the facility in the Black Forest. However, this time, instead of landing outside, the siblings directed it down the hangar hatch that opened below. Through a wide vertical shaft carved through solid rock, the Apotheosis descended until it reached an ample hangar with the walls, floor and ceiling completely lined with metal. A moment later, its feet touched the ground and the armored guards waiting for them stood at attention. Unsurprisingly, Atreus spotted the captain among them.

"Welcome." the Captain said.

"We'll wait here." Atreus said as the Apotheosis carefully set Lan down on the floor. "Call us if anything goes wrong."

Lan nodded and as soon as he hand got low enough he jumped down.

"A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Professor." the Captain said with a quick salute. "As you may have heard, a lot of people here are fans of your work."

"I get that a lot." Lan said rather sheepishly. "But please, enough with the saluting."

"They did say you were uncomfortable with praise." the Captain remarked with a slight smile. "Well then… right this way please."

Lan nodded and followed him through the hangar door and across hallways also completely lined with metal, crossing paths with the occasional uniformed personnel. He quirked an eyebrow at the sight of the unusual combination and once again felt a strange sense of deja vu.

Then the Captain led him to another chamber, larger than the hangar. Lan looked around and at the sight of rows upon rows of desks, each with a workstation consisting of a computer and chair, he blinked and felt slightly disoriented. The room was deserted at the moment and completely silent, but the feeling was unmistakable even through the haze in his memory.

"_I… I've been here before..."_

"Here we are." the Captain said. "I'll be waiting outside. Someone is coming to meet you soon."

With that, he stepped out of the chamber, leaving Lan alone with his thoughts.

"_Just what have I gotten myself into?"_ he wondered.

A moment later, he heard footsteps coming in from behind him and turned around.

"Hello again... Commander." the uniformed man said as he stepped into the room. "It has been quite some time."

Lan froze in place as he gazed upon the figure clad in a green sweater with brown leather elbow padding, the brown leather gloves, the khaki pants and brown shoes. Most of all, his gaze lingered on the blue insignia on the sweater, in the shape of an elongated pentagon pointing down, depicting a globe, crisscrossed by the usual parallel and meridian lines and with a large X in the center, topped by what he could only assume to be a motto – Vigilo Confido.

The man himself looked like he could be anywhere between his thirties and forties, with a perfectly average build. In fact, his appearance actually quite plain and ordinary, the kind he might run into on the street without even noticing – almost as if his entire persona had been designed for that specific purpose – but there was an intensity about his blue eyes that he could not overlook.

"You..." Lan said as he struggled to recall. "I've met you before… But what's all this?"

"My workplace of the last forty years." the Commander said. "We are not used to having outside guests, but I'm sure you'll agree that the current circumstances are far from ordinary."

"I'll say." Lan remarked. "I'm still not sure what's going on here, but I was definitely surprised that you'd take the initiative of contacting me."

"Ordinarily, I would try to conceal my existence further." the uniformed man said. "I would not reveal myself to you, or if I did, I would not be so forthcoming… but you are already familiar to me."

Lan was once again struck by the strange feeling of deja vu, but no matter how hard he focused, he could not recall.

"You are a most remarkable man." the uniformed man continued. "One of the few I would trust with this information... and it is about time we talked face to face… without masks or barriers between us."

"What are you talking about?" Lan asked.

Then, a strange blue light briefly danced across the man's eyes… and Lan felt as if a veil over mind had suddenly been lifted.

He recalled his journey out of Neo Atlantis after the appointment of the Imperative and the Affirmative and the meetings with various representatives to coordinate a response to the Sigma Uprising.

He recalled landing in a concealed underground base, and how at the time, despite having been greeted by this man, his presence had been so slippery as not to remain in his conscious memory – a remarkably unremarkable face. In fact, he realized that he was now standing in the exact same chamber at the exact same base where countless members of the Volunteer Navi Corps had worked together to coordinate the offensive to liberate the Cyberworld.

"You..." Lan muttered, his eyes lighting up in recognition. "I remember now… But how did I forget in the first place? Did you do something to me?"

"My apologies." the man said earnestly. "I have been fighting an exceedingly long war that has raged since before you were even born. A war fought mostly in the shadows and the wilderness, in the sky and on the streets... and occasionally among the stars and under the oceans for the heart and soul of humanity… as well as its continued survival."

The man continued, and Lan listened intently, his mind racing to process the situation.

"This Long War has spilled into several Earths, and my enemies are relentless. As such, I need to take certain measures to conceal my existence… even from others such as you."

As more pieces of the puzzle clicked together, Lan's eyes lit up in understanding.

"Another one..." Lan muttered, recalling the events two decades prior. "Just how many people form other Earths have stumbled in here?"

"Far too many." the man said with a nod. "I do not understand all the specific details myself, but there is something about this Earth that makes it easier to blunder into."

"And how exactly did you do this?" Lan prodded. "And how did you make me forget about all that?"

"Let us say that I possess… a certain Gift." the man said as a soft blue glow radiated from his eyes and then enveloped his body. "One that defies the laws of physics as you know them, that allows me to influence minds and cross the boundaries of space… and universes."

Lan froze in place. The hue and general gut feeling of the strange light was different and slightly unsettling, but there was definitely something familiar about seeing someone physically glowing like that.

"Some call it Psionics." the man explained, as if sensing his confusion. "It is fueled by the mind, though it has a basis in biology, and at times it has been both a weapon of war and its prize in equal measure."

"What do you mean?" Lan asked.

"There are hostile species out there who are extremely powerful in the Gift." the man said as he spun the energy between his fingers until it took the shape of a gaunt, hooded figure with four arms, greedily grasping for an orb shaped like Earth with bony hands.

"More often than not, they use it in order to enslave others and fuel their conquest." he continued, before dismissing the image. "Other times, they seek species who possess the potential for it in order to bolster their own strength. Their specific motivations and methods differ from one universe to the next, but their end goal is always the same. The subjugation of Earth and humanity."

"Are you talking about these invaders we're facing now?" Lan asked, taken aback. "I've never seen them use that kind of power."

"No. These are new to me. This Earth is full of oddities which I had not foreseen. The plans I had drafted were intended to counter my usual foes, but these aliens in particular were not part of them."

As the man spoke, Lan could feel familiar images flashing through his mind, almost like a slide presentation at a lecture. Unsurprisingly, he found himself featured in a few of them.

"First there were your Navis and your excessive reliance on network technology, which as you are aware, courted disaster on several occasions." the man continued. "Then there was your Cyberworld with its own set of rules that feels like a reality unto itself."

He paused for a moment, almost hesitant.

"Frankly, I also did not expect this Earth to start developing... giant robots... in the span of merely two decades. The Day of Sigma and its aftermath forced me to adapt my strategies considerably and tailor them to this new front."

"Which brings us to the key questions..." Lan said. "Who and what are you? I've never heard of any human who could do those things."

"You may be surprised." the man said with a hint of amusement before beckoning at Lan to follow.

The Commander led him through another corridor and continued his explanation along the way.

"Even on this Earth there are those who possess the Gift. You may already know some of them. I am also aware that you wield an unusual power yourself, one that is not quite like mine but still allows you to do some similar things."

Lan's thoughts immediately drifted to a certain girl with a penchant for the occult and antiques. He wondered how long it had been since he'd last seen Myuu and made a mental note to visit her again when possible. He hated losing track of his friends, and at times feared he might be letting his work consume his life.

As if sensing that his guest was lost in thoughts, the man crossed his arms and remained silent for a moment, giving him time to finish.

"As for who I am, I have worn many identities and appearances over the course of my Long War, but my birth name is Asaru. Few remain who remember it."

Then, they finally reached their next destination – an ample chamber with a high ceiling that looked like a command center of some sort, with a large holographic emitter in the center where the image a colossal globe was being projected in shades of blue, hovering in the air.

"_That's… actually pretty impressive."_ Lan thought, a little out of breath at the size and high definition of the image.

The Commander allowed Lan a moment to catch his breath and then stepped up to the globe and turned around to look directly at Lan before opening his arms in a rather dramatic fashion.

"And these are my companions on this Earth. Watchful and relied upon. X-COM, the Extraterrestrial Combat Force. Or rather, its current incarnation."

"What…?"

"On each Earth I visit, I assemble them anew, gather support from local governments and others with an interest in preserving humanity. After each campaign of this Long War, when my mission is completed, I move on to the next Earth, leaving behind a set of veteran sentinels to watch over humanity's future."

"How long have you been doing this?" Lan asked, again getting a feeling of deja vu.

"A very long time. It is difficult for me to recall specifically how long."

"That does seem to be an issue when parallel worlds are involved." Lan said. "Long ago, I met someone who said that dimensional travel could be quite the crapshoot. Apparently he used to do it under his own power, but eventually started using technological solutions for that reason."

"I think I know who you speak of." Asaru said, showing a hint of a smile for the first time since the beginning of the conversation. "The one who visited this Earth two decades ago on his trans-dimensional craft. We almost crossed paths in Antarctica as well, if you recall."

"Do you know each other?" Lan asked, finding the details suspiciously specific.

"We had some encounters in the past. Collaborated when the situation called for it. He normally also tries to be discreet, at least until situations escalate, but I have been in his presence enough times to recognize it even from a distance."

"In that case, why didn't you drop by to say hi?" Lan asked, a little confused.

"I must admit that… I can suffer from a bit of tunnel vision when I have an objective at hand." Asaru said with a shrug. "That is, after all, what got me in this situation in the first place."

"So where do we go from here?" Lan asked, crossing his arms.

"I need you to make a choice, Commander." Asaru said. "A choice that will likely influence the course of this conflict."

"I'm listening."

"As I said during our previous conversation, I believe you and your Robot Masters will be much more effective in combating this alien menace in a coordinated effort with X-COM. The same goes for your other allies. But I will not force you to make that decision."

"Meaning?"

"I will show you exactly what we are doing here… and our methods." Asaru explained. "If you find them agreeable, then we will give you access to the entirety of our communications network and make other resources available to you. You have already seen some of our Skyranger carriers in action."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then we will escort you home, and I will wipe the location of this facility from your memory. It is still within my power to do so, despite the nanomachines coursing through your system. The contact information I provided to you earlier will remain, in case you change your mind at a later date… but I would prefer that you make up your mind sooner rather than later."

"If you can do all that, then why aren't you trying to mess with my head to get me to agree?" Lan pointed out.

"Because this is your Earth, not mine." Asaru explained, sounding like he was already expecting the question. "Because any partnership based on coercion or mental tampering is doomed to failure and cannot be called a partnership at all."

With that, he sighed and looked directly at Lan with a very serious look on his face.

"I am not playing games here, Commander. I want not only to beat back this invasion, but to make sure that this world has a future once I depart. That will require people like you, in willing cooperation and in full possession of your mental faculties."

Lan struggled to digest all the information he had just been given, but having some experience with visitors from afar and strange powers, he could believe it. The whole thing actually made a little too much sense, given the events surrounding the Sigma Uprising and his freshly regained memories.

"After you've said all of that, I'd have a hard time turning down your offer." he concluded after a few moments. "This is going to take some getting used to, but-"

He was abruptly cut off by a loud alarm klaxon.

"Status report." the Commander said without skipping a beat as he turned to one of the aides manning a workstation.

"Sir, we have a large alien attack force heading our way." the aide, a man somewhere in his twenties, explained.

"Damnit..." Lan hissed.

"It looks like they may have actually had enough time to report our position earlier." the Commander mused.

Then another door in the chamber opened and Lan saw another uniformed man, only with a gray sweater and the most outrageous purple hairdo he had seen since the days of the eccentric Viddy Narcy.

"It would seem that my timing was rather poor." Major Yeager remarked.

"On the contrary." the Commander said before glancing at Lan. "Commander, this is Major Gilliam Yeager, the designer of the Gespenst, a talented operative… and a personal friend."

"A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." the man said with a polite nod.

"Nice to meet you..." Lan said, unable to pry his eyes away from the man's hairdo. "But I guess we'll have to cut this short, if more of them are heading here."

"Our MEC units and the Captain's Gespenst are already preparing to launch." the Major said.

"Anything I can do to help since I'm here?" Lan asked.

"You are our guest." the Commander said. "We would not expect you to fight."

"You shouldn't expect me not to fight in a situation like this." Lan retorted. "Since we'll be working together, I'm guessing you won't mind if I borrow one of your… MECs, was it?"

"We have something more suitable for your talents..." the Major said with a knowing smile, as if he had been expecting Lan to react this way. "Right this way..."

Moments later, in another hangar...

"Well… you weren't kidding." Lan said as he looked at the armored blue form towering over him, very similar to the black machine he had already seen footage of.

"So this is how a Gespenst looks up close..." he remarked, pacing around back and forth to look at the design and the armaments.

"I call this variant… Gespenst Lichtstrahl." the Major said, looking pretty proud of himself.

"The Commander did mention you were the designer..." Lan recalled.

"Why, yes. I am the one who created the original Gespenst… and many other variants. This model here was on standby in case something happened to the Shildritter before the next batch is finished."

"Impressive." Lan said. "I may have to borrow some ideas for the Robot Masters later."

"I would be honored if you did." the Major said. "For the time being though, this machine should be up to your standards."

"How do I turn it on?" Lan asked.

"Just call out to it." the Major said. "Since I expected a lot of emergency deployments, instead of a simple key or code lock I fitted these models with a voice activation system. When you are ready to head out, just shout the words. Call Gespenst."

"You really do like your voice activation dramatics." Asaru remarked as he stepped into view.

"That does sound like something I'd cook up in my spare time." Lan said with a scoff.

"Well then Dr. Hikari… while you and this machine get acquainted…" the Major said before turning to Asaru. "I'm going to get the RV."

"What?" Lan asked, a bit confused. "How's a van going to help at a time like this?"

"You'll see..." Asaru said with an amused smirk.

As the man stepped out of the chamber, Lan reached for his PET.

"Guys..."

"We know." Amelia chimed in. "We've already let the others know but they're not in position yet."

"I see..." Lan said. "In that case, thanks. I'm about to head out and give these people a hand. You coming?"

"Why Professor!" Amelia said with a smile.

"We thought you'd never ask." Atreus added.

"I was under the impression that you two hated fighting." Lan noted.

"We're not the biggest fans, true." Atreus conceded. "But there's too much at stake… and with my sister here I'm feeling much better already."

"I'm not the biggest fan of this machine either." Amelia added. "But I wasn't about to let you out of my sight after what happened last time."

"Have those two been giving you any more trouble?" Lan asked.

"They've been… surprisingly quiet." Atreus said. "Maybe they're scared of her."

"They should be." Amelia said with a confident grin. "But remember, if you start feeling anything strange, tell me right away."

"Don't overdo it." Lan said with a concerned frown. "That's what we grown ups are supposed to be here for."

"Right." Atreus said with a nod. "We'll see you outside."

With that, Lan nodded and ended the call.

"I should have brought my old suit..." he mused as he glanced at the towering blue form. "But I guess this will do for now. Well then..."

* * *

In another section of the base, Captain Devon was already busy boarding his machine while his usual companions in the white and red MECs did the same.

"Rossi." the Captain called out through his earpiece.

"Andiamo!" a man's voice replied.

"Germi."

"Pronta!" an energetic young woman's voice replied.

"Roving."

"Good to go." a man with an unusual accent reported.

"Kasamoto."

"Waiting for you, Sir." another young woman replied with a Far Eastern accent.

"Cassel."

"Allons-y!" another woman replied.

* * *

Back to Lan…

"I must go and oversee the troops from the Command Room." Asaru said. "You are in good hands."

With that, he left, leaving Lan to his own devices.

A moment later, a childlike grin crept over Lan's face as he seized the opportunity to pull the kind of stunt he had watched countless times in his favorite shows and movies. He only wished Hub could be there to watch, but he figured that he would have such an opportunity as soon as the Morskoy Lev arrived.

Imitating the transforming heroes he was so fond of, Lan reached for his PET and lifted it in front of him for dramatic effect before crying out.

"Call! Gespenst!"

The blue machine's yellow visor lit up in acknowledgment and the familiar hum of a reactor coming online echoed through the hangar. Lan ran to the nearby boarding platform and cracked his knuckles on the way up. As soon as the platform came to a stop, he jumped into the open cockpit hatch and strapped himself in.

To his surprise, the cockpit design wasn't too different from that of one of the Robot Master units, though there were some elements he was unfamiliar with. As he pondered this, however, the cockpit displays came to life and he saw a status readout and a message.

**READY TO LAUNCH**

A flashing schematic on the central display showed him what he needed to do and as soon as he followed the instructions the hatch closed, the boarding platform retracted and the platform on which the Gespenst was standing began to rise...


	12. A New Hero Chronicle

Chapter 12 – A New Hero Chronicle

"**I never expected to find myself writing anything resembling a journal. The knowledge contained in my mind is far too dangerous to be shared with most, ****and I fully expect to carry it to the grave. ****My ****old ****c****reations**** both hold the potential to bring endless chaos. ****I don't even dare mention their names here, ****lest someone finds this later and starts getting ideas****.**

**Still, as I f****i****nd myself in an****other**** unfamiliar Earth with an unlikely new friend and ****e****mbroiled in**** a new conflict, I feel compelled to write down some of my thoughts. ****I doubt it was a coincidence that my journey led me here****. **

**S****ee****ing**** reflections of the Comet and the Meteor in front of m****y eyes, I cannot help feeling that someone is having a laugh at my expense... ****a****nd**** wondering if they will fall ****prey ****to the same cursed fate of many of their ****other**** iterations. So far, they seem to be on a different path. ****I will monitor them closely, but I will not burden them with knowledge of what they may or may not do.**

**Asaru ****and the Robot Masters will accomplish great things together****. I will continue to assist with what I can on my end. Still, I cannot help noticing the irony of my current situation. I, who once sought to purge my homeworld of extra-dimensional ****interference****, now find myself interfering in anothe****r**** – ****a****nd in the perfect position ****to ****bear witness**** witness ****to ****the beginning of**** a ****new**** Hero Chronicle."**

**\- Gilliam Yeager's notebook**

"Are we there yet?" GutsMan asked, nervously pacing around the bridge of the Morskoy Lev.

"No." Laika said with a frown.

"I hope you appreciate the feat of engineering that is getting something this big to move across water at these speeds." Kalinka pointed out, looking slightly irked. "If we try to go any faster, we might either start tearing the structure apart or causing tidal waves."

"I recall you had a possible solution for that..." Laika said.

"The displacement field is still very much a work in progress." Kalinka explained with a frown. "I just wonder if the nuclear reactor will provide enough power."

"What?" Dex asked. "I'm not really in on that stuff, but if this thing runs or nuclear power, how won't that be enough?"

"Have you ever tried to project a coherent energy field around an object the size of a battleship?" Kalinka pointed out. "The rods we've got downstairs should be enough to keep it running for ten years, but what I'm trying to do here has never been done before. Best to play it safe."

"So you're still running the calculations." Hub deduced.

"Pretty much." Kalinka said with a nod. "Figuring out how to interface the field generator with the existing structure too."

"Well, if you do end up needing more power, I may have the solution for that..." Hub said, turning his attention away from one of the displays.

"What do you mean?" she asked, a little confused.

Hub walked up to her, reached into one of the pockets of his labcoat and produced a small bead of a strange coppery metal that seemed to glitter like fire, holding it up.

"Energy output comparable to uranium or plutonium." Hub said. "With none of the radiation or toxic byproducts. All in a compact and stable package."

"What?" Kalinka muttered, incredulously eyeing the object.

"We've been meaning to discuss this with you as well." Hub elaborated further. "It's part of the reason why the people running this... X-COM are so interested in working with us."

"Why am I hearing about this for the first time?" Maito chimed in.

"Yeah." Raito added. "And just WHAT is that?"

"Orichalcum." Hub said. "As for the reason why we haven't told you yet… We're still testing the limits of this power source… and a bit scared of what might happen if the rest of the world got wind of it at a time like this."

"Orichalcum..." Kalinka repeated. "Well, with a name like that, it's pretty easy to guess where it came from."

"What are you talking about?" Raito asked.

"You need to broaden your culture a little bit, my boy." Hub said. "According to the legends, there was once an ancient lost city full of lost wonders. That metal was one of them."

"Would that be Atlantis by any chance?" Maito asked, his mind connecting the dots.

"Back then, everyone thought the Founders had intended the name to be an homage, given that they were raising an island from nothing." Hub explained. "As it turns out… somehow they knew exactly where they were settling."

"Ah." Kalinka recalled. "Thaddeus Atreides."

"You mean Atreus' grandpa?" Raito recalled.

"My father mentioned meeting the man a long time ago during a convention." Kalinka confirmed with a nod. "Not many people know or remember, but several of the Founders had an interest in archaeology, especially the woman who later became the First Founder's wife."

"It's more than that." Hub said with a somber look on his face. "I don't know if this applied to all of the Founders, or if Thaddeus himself was even aware of it, but it was also… the call of home."

"What do you mean?" Laika asked.

"The orichalcum samples they sent to us came from the same place as the Apotheosis." Hub explained. "Years ago, they uncovered a portion of the ruins of the old island, buried underneath the seafloor. The rest, I can't talk about right now."

"Do those samples have anything to do with our machines?" Maito asked.

"Their reactors are highly experimental." Hub explained. "They use a combination of controlled fusion and… some technology we borrowed from elsewhere. We've been thinking about adapting them to use orichalcum, even if just as a supplement, because of how much energy some systems need."

Aya silently followed the conversation, wondering how many more surprises the twin professors still had in store.

"It would be nice to get a little more juice for the Variable Weapons System." Raito mused.

"We installed a secondary reactor and a dedicated accumulator for that." Hub said. "We didn't want to risk leaving the X-1 unable to move. Looks like we still underestimated the drain though."

"Which reminds me..." Raito said. "Just how does that system work?"

"The short answer would be nanomachines." Hub said. "The long answer? Something we put together based on the old Copy Bot system and a few other things."

He carefully omitted the portion regarding the Project Unity research dating back two decades and the help he and Lan had received from one Dr. Light, feeling that there was some knowledge they were not ready for yet.

"Nanomachines?" Raito asked. "That's it?"

"To go into a little more detail..." Hub added. "The capture system captures weapon data on the field. This is processed by the computers. The nanomachines built into the frame work like miniaturized fabricator units, flash forging reproductions of the original weapons… if they're physical or projectiles, that is."

"What about the Mega Buster?" Kalinka asked.

"The Busters on both arms each have a primary and secondary emitter." Hub elaborated. "The primary is in a fixed configuration for the regular and charged plasma shots. The secondary uses a different set of nanomachines to reconfigure the emitter arrays on the fly. Naturally this uses a lot of energy, which can be a problem."

Hub then turned to the nearly identical cousins.

"Incidentally, I hope you did read the entire manual. We left a clear note there, but I'll say it anyway. For now, do NOT try to fire charged shots from both Busters at the same time."

"Yes, we saw the notes." Raito grumbled, remembering Maria and Maito's frequent scoldings. "But they didn't mention why."

"There's a kink in the Busters that we're still working on..." Hub said with a sigh. "They use electromagnetic fields to contain and channel the blasts. If you fire charged shots from both at the same time there's a chance they'll interfere with each other."

"That reminds me..." Maito added. "That Hadouken thing. It's not exactly new but..."

"You're wondering why they didn't use it sooner?" Hub deduced. "That was another challenge. The energy for that comes from those three, not from the Guts Machine. We only got the channeling system to work recently because there was a persistent obstruction in the flow during testing."

"I still have a hard time believin' you managed to make that work." Dex remarked, looking genuinely impressed.

"It was a challenge, but definitely worth it." Hub said with a nod.

After a long silence, Dex sighed and looked at the monitors again.

"Are we there yet?" he asked again, visibly restless.

"No." Kalinka grumbled.

After a while longer, Raito and Maito looked at the screen where their position and trajectory were on display and sighed in unison. A moment later, they exchanged glances and nodded at each other.

"Sorry guys, but..." Raito finally said.

"We can't take it anymore." Maito added.

With that, the two started heading towards the door.

"Where are ya goin'?" Dex asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Well, one of our machines can fly." Raito pointed out. "It won't do any good cooped up in the launch tube. Besides, my Dad's over there."

"Wait..." Hub intervened.

The two stopped in their tracks and gave Hub a hesitant glance.

"I know how you feel boys." he said with a nod. "But we don't know what exactly is going on over there yet."

Before either of the boys could protest, Hub continued.

"Which is exactly why I'm going with you this time."

"For real?" Maito asked with an excited grin.

"For real." Hub echoed, before his face lit up with a proud smile. "Besides, this will be my first time getting to see the machine in action from inside the cockpit."

"Try not to have too much fun then." Chisao said with a smile. "We'll catch up as soon as we can."

"And save some for us, will ya?" GutsMan added.

"Aren't you forgetting something, mister?" Roll chimed in from her post in front of another console, next to which Mayl was standing.

With agile steps, Roll quickly crossed the distance and caught Hub in a tight embrace.

"I guess you boys just couldn't resist playing hero any longer." she said with a fond smile, discreetly adjusting the white scarf around his neck. "It's part of who you are."

"Honestly, I'm surprised they've managed to stay put this long." Mayl remarked with a fond smile as she recalled some of the heroics of their younger years.

"Just make sure the kids keep their helmets on." Roll said, running a hand over Hub's cheek. "And don't get too crazy out there."

Before he could say anything, she preemptively silenced him with a kiss, much to Maito's embarrassment.

"Mom!" the boy protested, feeling rather awkward about his parents' open display of affection in front of other people.

"Go get 'em." she said, catching her husband in a bear hug. "Show the world my Mega is still in the game."

"Yes honey." Hub said, a little embarrassed himself but relishing the rush.

The trio headed to the hangar and quickly settled in the cockpit. While it had been built with only two seats, the twins had left enough space for any eventual extra passengers to still be comfortable, but Hub silently pondered installing some sort of collapsible seats with proper seatbelts. As the two boys sat side by side, he stood directly behind their chairs.

"You gonna be OK just standing there?" Maito asked, glancing over his shoulder once he was done strapping in.

"Don't worry about it." Hub said reassuringly. "Just show me what you can do."

"Good to go." Raito reported through the radio.

"Launching now." Alyona's voice replied through the console.

The launch tube filled with water and moments later the X-1 was hurtling through the water like a missile in a vertical ascent. As soon as it broke through the surface, the new wings on its back unfolded and the thrusters roared to life. The blue robot switched to a prone position in mid-air, allowing it to use the full array of thrusters for forward acceleration.

Though Hub had secured himself, gripping the back of the seats, he was still surprised by the sudden shift in position and the burst of speed that followed. His left hand slipped and he lost his footing, stumbling backwards.

"You OK back there?" Raito asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it." Hub said, hastily straightening up. "I'll definitely have to set up some extra seats later though."

Once Hub had settled into a more secure position, they continued on their way.

"I love this thing." Raito said with a grin as he once again felt the thrill of soaring through the sky. "But why Rush Jet?"

"Calling it Jet Scrander would have been a good way to get sued." Hub said jokingly. "As for the second reason… well, one day I'll tell you."

"_In fact, maybe it's time we got an actual dog."_ he thought, recalling the old alarm system in the shape of a doghouse that still decorated their front lawn after over thirty years. Hub had always loved animals but the time had just never seemed right to get a pet.

* * *

Meanwhile…

While Lan had had the opportunity to test the X-1 before its final battle, the experience of being in actual combat was both exciting and nerve inducing. Still, he would not have asked the others to do anything he was not willing to do himself, and being in the cockpit of the borrowed Gespenst provided an opportunity both to assess the tactics of his new allies and get a feel for their technology. The cockpit was compact and streamlined, much like one would expect in a military machine, while the controls, a pair of joysticks laden with buttons and a pair of consoles with built-in displays, looked advanced but not overly complicated.

"_The controls on this this thing are pretty simple..." _he realized. _"Not too different from the X-1 actually."_

The real surprise, however, came from the black, synthetic chair, which looked like a cross between a flight simulator chair and the kind of furniture one would see in catalogs for discerning gamers. It was almost ridiculously comfortable and Lan made a mental note to look up the model later.

As the blue Gespenst emerged from the concealed hangar hatch, other machines deployed nearby. He recognized the form of Captain Devon's black machine as well as the increasingly familiar MECs, in particular the red and white ones, but the decorations and some of the armaments on the others were new to him.

One of the new machines was sporting a rusty red paint job and armed with one of the magnetic auto-cannons Lan had seen in use during the fight against the alien behemoth. Next to it, another MEC, painted navy blue, was sporting one of the bulkier auto-cannons along with what looked like a grenade launcher holstered on its back and a rather ungodly amount of extra ammunition, laid out in belts strapped to its torso and limbs.

"_Overkill much?"_ he thought, casting a nervous glance at the navy blue machine.

Alongside it stood two other MECs. One was painted a dark yellow, equipped with one of the new magnetic auto-cannons and sporting two shoulder mounted rocket launchers. The other was painted in metallic silver, sporting one of the earlier auto-cannon models as well as what looked almost like a scaled up shotgun strapped to its left leg.

"_A shotgun on a giant robot?"_ Lan wondered, quirking an eyebrow at the odd choice.

His musings were interrupted, however, as the squadron began to move in the direction the alien machines were coming from and a trio of jet fighters flew overhead.

"Dr. Hikari." Captain Devon's voice chimed in through the radio.

"Yeah?" Lan answered.

"That machine's specs are similar to mine, minus the cloaking system, and I see you're already getting used to the controls. You should be fine, but try not to stray too far from the rest of us."

"Fair enough." Lan said, testing the controls and raising the blue Gespenst's assault rifle. "You're the soldiers here. But just so you know, I intend to pull my weight."

"Fair enough." the Captain said, sounding a little amused. "We're covering the western flank. Other squads are taking care of the rest."

"_I __can see how he would have impressed Father, even as a teenager__..."_ the Captain mused. _"__He's got guts. Best to make sure he keeps them on the inside though."_

Casting aside the implications of everything Asaru had revealed to him earlier, Lan focused on the fight ahead, however, something felt off.

"Here they come." the man in the white MEC announced. "500 meters, 300… Should be crossing our sights... now."

Indeed, they did. A swarm of drones darted ahead, likely scouting the path for more to come.

"I've got this!" a young woman's soft voice chimed in from the yellow MEC with a Mediterranean accent as it brought its auto-cannon to bear. Suddenly, a strange male voice with a peculiar accent blared through the comms.

"HEAVY MACHINE GUN!"

"What…?" Lan muttered, surprised by the loud noise and the incredibly cheesy voice.

"Sorry..." the woman groaned in annoyance. "I don't know why it keeps doing that."

Not wanting to waste more time, she proceeded to open fire, mowing down a good number of the frail drones. Meanwhile, the jet fighters overhead took down their share of targets. The others joined in with their own weapons. Around the same time, concealed turrets all around the base perimeter emerged from their hiding spots, unleashing a barrage of bullets upon the abundant targets.

Meanwhile, Lan examined the black rifle in the Gespenst's grip, unused to the weapon. It seemed like an upscaled version of a ballistic assault rifle for the most part, though with a clearly streamlined and sleek design. Since the machine compensated for recoil on its own, it was a simple matter to take aim at one of the drones. In a three round burst, the small machine exploded.

"_I'm not a big fan of guns… but I can appreciate quality."_

With that, he sought another target. Soon enough, the remaining drones were wiped out in a curtain of fire.

"First wave down." a male radar operator's voice chimed in through the radio. "Two MECs lightly damaged, but the line is holding."

"They're testing the waters." the man in the white MEC surmised. "I'm guessing they don't realize what they've got here just yet."

"Even if that's the case, the longer they linger, the more likely this facility could be compromised." Asaru warned with an even tone through the radio. "Don't give them time to stick their noses in."

"Understood, Commander." the soldier responded.

"_The Commander is unusually talkative today… Maybe he wants to impress our guests?"_

"Second wave incoming from west and north sides." a female operator added. "More drones and unmanned humanoid units."

Captain Devon studied the main display on his machine and furrowed his brow.

"Visual contact in four seconds."

"Contact!" the pilot of the red MEC announced.

A row of unmanned humanoid units charged in at high speed, seemingly using some sort of thrusters not too different from those employed by the MEC units apart from the yellowish exhaust they left in their wake.

The woman in the yellow MEC was quick to react, switching weapons.

"RAW-KIT LAWN CHAIR!" the same strange voice from before blared in her cockpit.

Not bothering to dignify that with an answer, she simply shut the console down and continued what she was doing, unhindered by the lack of a tactical subsystem. The shoulder mounted launchers shifted with the sound of servomotors and after a brief pause to acquire their targets, two compact missiles shot out of each in quick succession.

While Avalanche Missiles were clearly old technology by this point, they were still considerably effective against such lightly armored targets, and three unmanned units were reduced to slag while a fourth lost a leg and tumbled out of control.

"They feel wasted on this junk." the man in the red MEC commented. In one swift motion, he reached behind his machine's back and withdrew what looked like another magnetic accelerator weapon, only shaped more like a rifle than an auto-cannon, then took aim.

"Plenty more where these came from!" the young woman retorted confidently.

The pilot of the red MEC fired and a single stream of accelerated metal burst forth, striking one of the unmanned units square in the chest and destroying the reactor inside. Meanwhile, the pilot of the silvery machine moved in closer and raised the shotgun, tearing off another unit's head with a thunderous roar.

"We still don't know how many are coming." Asaru cautioned. "Do try to conserve your explosives, Germi. That goes double for Cassel."

"Yes Commander." the woman in the yellow MEC acknowledged.

"Right..." another woman's voice grumbled from the navy blue MEC in a French accent, sounding rather disappointed.

As the remaining unmanned units opened fire and the soldiers answered in kind, Lan felt a sudden unease. A second wave of humanoid machine was swiftly approaching, and by the way they were moving he could somehow tell that they were not remote controlled drones. He counted at least ten standard models and five armored ones, and by the yellowish flashes in the sky above, he could tell that more were coming.

"_I'd never ask the kids to do something I wasn't willing to do myself..."_ he thought bitterly. _"But I wonder if we can even get through all of this without taking a life."_

While he and Hub had deleted viruses and criminal Navis before, it had always been in self-defense or to protect others, against enemies that would not relent until either side was destroyed. With his perceptions filtered through the lenses of experience and adulthood, he could accept on an intellectual level that he had technically taken lives before, but that notion brought him no comfort. With grim resolve, he raised the Gespenst's rifle.

"_If I can't keep my hands clean, at least I'll try my damnedest to keep the children's."_

Before he could fire again, however, the pilot of the navy blue MEC hurled a grenade at the incoming enemies and the pilots of the red and white machines fired their thrusters for a pincer maneuver, the white going left and the red right.

"The first time is never easy." Captain Devon remarked as he took aim with his machine's rifle and landed a shot through a standard enemy unit's visor, cutting the pilot's life short.

"Huh?" Lan interjected, surprised at the comment.

"My father had you figured out all those years ago." the Captain said rather somberly. "Your kindness does you credit, but maybe you shouldn't be on a battlefield."

"I built weapons and put them in the hands of children, including my own." Lan retorted, before unleashing a burst of fire against an armored unit. "How could I look at myself in the mirror if I stayed home while they're out there?"

While the bullets were not terribly effective, harmlessly bouncing off the plating, his point was made.

"So be it." the Captain said. "But you won't get far against those things with that."

With that, the Phantom Sentinel's thrusters flared and the Captain charged into the fray, the right fist of his machine raised. The rods extended, energy crackled between them, and the Jet Magnum dug into the target's faceplate.

"Have one more on the house." the Captain taunted, bringing the left fist with its own set of rods to bear. "Double Jet Magnum!"

With a loud crack, the left fist unleashed an uppercut, driving the rods underneath the armored unit's chin. Much like an actual person struck by such a combination, the alien machine stumbled backwards, falling awkwardly on its back.

In his college days, long before joining the Secret Services at his father's behest and then moving to X-COM, the Captain had been an avid amateur boxer. The way his machine moved in close quarters combat reflected this, dodging and weaving, then moving in for the kill. Satisfied that he had not lost his touch, he raised the Gespenst's right arm and unceremoniously unleashed a jolt of electricity, which coursed through the alien machine and stunned the pilot, before turning to his next opponent.

"The Arc Thrower attachments continue to prove useful..." Asaru muttered to himself as he watched the battle unfold. "Why didn't we think of those before?"

Meanwhile, the Captain's companions continued holding the line, trying to keep the engagement from devolving into a chaotic firefight.

An armored unit fired a rocket, which exploded as it struck the ground right in front of the red MEC. Caught by surprise and with her machine's sensors knocked offline by the blast, the young woman inside stumbled back with a yelp.

"Vaffanculo!" the man inside the rusty red MEC shouted, bringing his magnetic accelerator auto-cannon to bear. Unfortunately, he missed his mark, and three of the regular models focused their fire on him, tearing ugly gouges through the torso of his machine.

The woman in the yellow MEC was able to get the sensors partially working again just in time and gripped the controls of her machine.

"Down!" she shouted.

The rusty machine hit the ground in an awkward dive, and the yellow MEC's launchers moved, pointing straight forward, before letting out a surprisingly fierce roar and unleashing an inaccurate but still devastating volley.

"Cazzo, Fio..." the man muttered, a little stunned by her vicious display.

Taking her cue, the pilot of the navy blue machine applied a liberal dose of grenades, blowing two standard units apart and causing the pilots of three others to break and flee. Then, to Lan's surprise, she started laughing through the radio.

"_That woman likes grenades a little too much..." _he thought, feeling a chill down his spine and discreetly moving his borrowed Gespenst away.

"Deploy reserve units to the eastern flank." Asaru instructed. "Focus the AA batteries on those scouts!"

"_Where are those two anyway?" _Lan wondered.

* * *

High above, the siblings put their construct's flight capabilities and speed to good use, darting between alien fighter craft and airborne robots with reckless abandon. Between strikes, Atreus tried to aim one of the construct's strange arm cannons… only for the beam to completely miss its mark and surge over the horizon. He groaned in annoyance and returned to the tried and true approach of sword strikes.

"Will is everything within this space." the Father admonished. "You are not giving it your all."

"What do you know?" Amelia snapped. "Nobody likes a backseat driver anyway."

* * *

Under a withering hail of gunfire, an alien unmanned craft crashed within spitting distance of the eastern gate. In its wake, a trio of craft the size of small trucks followed, comprised of black cylindrical shapes crisscrossed by yellowish golden lines. By the myriad hatches opening in downward facing surfaces, they seemed to be troop transports of some sort.

"Security teams, report." Asaru called out. "Keep all control points manned and ensure that all hatches not in use are sealed. They must not set one foot inside the base."

Various squad leaders called out through the shared internal frequency in acknowledgment. As he heard their voices, Asaru reached for a concealed drawer under his desk and withdrew a strange gray metallic device, in a shape reminiscent of a Geiger counter, but without any kind of display, and with a strange briefcase-like handle.

"Not this time..." he muttered to himself, gripping the handle.

As he did so, the strange blue glow blossomed in his eyes again, spreading to the device. However, he soon found himself interrupted by another voice on the intercom.

"New unit incoming." the female radar operator chimed in through the frequency shared by active combat personnel. "ID confirmed. Robot Master."

A familiar blue form appeared on the horizon, soaring on crimson wings. The X-1's entrance was immediately greeted by the aliens with a barrage of focused fire and the cousins scrambled to roll out of the way while some of the units on the ground moved in to provide covering fire. Meanwhile, on the eastern side, the aliens flying the transport craft let out expletives in their native language at the sight of the X-1 and began to beat a hasty retreat, pelted by a barrage of bullets and rockets from the MECs and turrets on the ground.

"Crap..." Raito hissed as a stream of projectiles clipped the right wing from behind, scratching the paint.

"Oh no you don't..." Lan growled, gunning down the regular model robot responsible for it, still taking care not to hit the cockpit.

With a clear path, the X-1 landed in front of the blue Gespenst.

"Is that who I think it is?" Maito remarked.

"We leave you alone for an hour and you're already trading us for another team?" Hub joked.

Meanwhile, the woman inside the navy blue MEC flashed a rather unsettling grin and started chucking grenades at the alien machines like one would throw rice at a wedding. The man in the rusty MEC and the woman in the yellow one, still firing their main weapons at the enemy, winced and kept a careful distance from her as explosions began tearing through the enemy formation.

"I should have expected you three to rush ahead of the others." Lan remarked with a knowing smile.

"Well duh!" Raito retorted with a cheeky grin much like his father's.

The X-1 spun around and took its place next to the other blue machine, its Buster already charging up with a low hum while firing a Spark Shock from the left arm.

"But… what's that thing you've got there?" Raito asked excitedly. "Another Gespenst?"

"They let be borrow one of their spares." Lan said. "I couldn't exactly pass this up."

With a loud rumbling noise, an armored unit descended into the battlefield, easily three times the size of its regular counterparts. The yellow MEC and the black Gespenst promptly unleashed a barrage from their shoulder launchers and missile pods, but while they dealt visible damage it was not enough to stop its charge. Then a second one joined in, followed by a third.

"Say…" the man in the red MEC said to his companion in the white machine. "Do you think you can pull off that stunt with the grenade again?"

"Let's find out." the other soldier replied.

"Nadia, would you kindly?" the pilot of the red MEC asked.

The woman in the navy blue MEC simply nodded and hefted another grenade.

"Where do you want it, Lieutenant?"

"See if you can hit the lead one right in the forehead." the man in the white MEC said.

"On it!" the woman replied.

With a throw worthy of an Olympic athlete – if said athlete were the size of a building – the navy blue MEC hurled the projectile in a perfect arc, striking the target right in the middle of its forehead. On cue, swift as lightning, the pilot of the white MEC shot the grenade with a weapon of the same model as his red counterpart's, detonating it. The explosion, which would have blown off the head of a lesser model, caved in the faceplate instead.

The other alien pilots seemed to hesitate for a moment, baffled by the display of inhuman accuracy. Meanwhile, the X-1 finally released the charge it had been building up, blasting the left leg off another armored model.

"_Either we got lucky, or the Buster has been upgraded..."_ Raito thought, surprised at the result.

Then, the pilot of the yellow MEC seized the opportunity to go all out with the rocket launchers once again. That definitely got the aliens' attention after watching several of their compatriots get mowed down by her previous outburst, and they began to hastily fall back.

From another direction, an alien rocket barreled towards the X-1's back. Overhead, the Apotheosis finished another sweep and flew over the others. Atreus and Amelia noticed what was happening and clenched their teeth, realizing they couldn't cross the distance in time. Then something strange happened.

In a sudden flash, the construct vanished… and then reappeared between the X-1 and the incoming projectile.

"_What…?"_ both siblings thought in unison, utterly baffled.

Quickly gathering their wits, they unceremoniously kicked it away. It careened erratically through the air and then exploded, tearing through one of the lesser foes. Unwilling to give the assailant the opportunity for a repeat attempt, Atreus severed the robot's limbs in a fluid sequence of spinning sword strikes, leaving the metallic torso lying on the ground and giving the pilot inside the fright of their life before the construct darted back to the sky above to seek the next target.

"Thanks for the save." Raito said. "But what was that?"

"No idea..." Amelia said, exchanging glances with her brother, who was as confused as her, but trying to stay focused on the battle still raging around them.

Lan and Hub had a different reaction, however, silently watching with furrowed brows.

"_I've seen that before...__" _both of them thought in unison. _"__What did X call it…?"_

An armored unit somehow broke through the lines, barreling straight for the X-1.

"Machine Soul!" the pilot hissed through the translator.

"Broken record!" Raito taunted as he reached for the Variable Weapons System console while his cousin handled the controls, evading the alien's uncoordinated shots. One of them, however, hit its mark, breaking through the plating of the left leg above the knee.

The X-1 took flight as Maito fired the thrusters, fully intent on ramming the alien machine. The sound of Hub losing his balance again and tumbling to the back of the cockpit changed his mind, however.

"Crap..." Maito hissed. "Sorry about that."

Ashamed at his attempt at showing off in front of his father and his overlooking of the logical result, he winced and tried to focus on the battle around him.

"You're smarter than that." Hub scolded, rubbing a sore spot on the back of his head. "Your machine is the Swiss Army knife of the Robot Masters. Make the most of it."

"I don't remember seeing even half of this stuff last time..." Raito remarked as he glanced at the screen.

"I'm not sure if we should keep trying out new weapons in live combat before knowing what they do..." Maito pondered, momentarily hesitant to pull any more stunts for the day. "But oh well, screw it."

"Ready?" Raito asked.

"You know it." Maito replied.

Raito went through the list of new weapons until he found one that drew his attention.

"Metal Blade?" he read it out loud. "Wonder what it does."

To his surprise, as soon as he selected it, a message flashed across the screen in red letters.

**LOCKED**

"What?!" both boys cried out simultaneously.

"Sorry boys." Hub said, shaking his head. "That weapon is too powerful for you to mess around with just yet. We'll talk later."

"Try another one..." Maito grumbled.

Raito nodded and scrolled through the list, until he found another name that caught his eye.

"Here we go..." he said excitedly as both stared at the name.

"MAGNETIC SHOCKWAVE!" both shouted in unison.

A crimson pillar of energy burst forth from the X-1, frying the electronics of a dozen alien machines in its path before dissipating.

"Whoa..." Raito said.

"Nice!" Maito added, scrolling through the list. "What else did those two add?"

To his surprise and glee, he saw the list had a rather large number of new entries.

"When did they have time to come up with all of this?" he wondered, before reading some of the names out loud. "Electric Spark, Shotgun Ice, Rolling Shield, Storm Tornado… it looks like it goes on forever…"

"Storm Tornado it is." Raito said, selecting the weapon.

The X-1 raised its right hand and, much to the boys' surprise, something resembling a concentrated whirlwind roared out of it, shearing off the armor of the enemy units in its path as it threw them aside like rag dolls.

"Awesome!" both cried out with excited grins.

"We had some help." Hub explained. "There's definitely someone I'd like both of you to meet later."

Suddenly, warning lights embedded on the ground began flashing and the roar of engines echoed from the depths.

"Something's coming!" Raito said, feeling the ground rumbling under the X-1's feet.

The X-1 turned around and from one of the hangar hatches behind it, a newcomer entered the fray.

"What the hell is that?!" Maito shouted.

A towering black form emerged from underground, with a frame very similar to the other two Gespenst units, but taller and blockier in design, with a thicker head bearing two protuberances almost resembling ears pointing upwards and a considerably larger flight pack that looked almost as if someone had strapped a jet fighter to its back. In its hands, it was carrying a strange gray metal weapon, shaped like some unholy combination of cannon and sniper rifle, with an overly long barrel reinforced by some thick metallic mesh and a handle protruding from the left side.

"Introducing..." the Major announced. "The Gespenst RV!"

"So that's what you meant..." Lan realized with a smirk. "I should have figured."

"A wise man always keeps a trump card in reserve." the Major remarked. "Some choose a Rocket Punch, but – modesty aside – I prefer a Gespenst."

"I thought you were having material shortage problems." Lan pointed out. "When did you have the time to build something like that?"

"I did not build it here." the Major said with an enigmatic smile. "I brought it with me."

"_Another one?"_ Lan silently wondered, still perplexed after finally speaking with Asaru face to face and regaining his locked memories.

"And now, behold the true power of the Gespenst!" the Major announced as its thrusters flared and the machine took off, heading for the thickest enemy formation he could find.

The RV gripped the handle and the support bar on its oversized rifle and pointed it at an incoming enemy formation.

"Mega Buster Cannon, fire!" the purple haired man called out, calm and collected even in such circumstances.

"Excuse you?!" Raito protested.

Caught by surprise, Gilliam stopped in place, still aiming.

"Yeah!" Maito added. "Copying weapons is supposed to be our thing, mister!"

"Copy this one if you can, then." the Major retorted with an amused smirk at their reaction.

With that, he finished taking aim and a searing purple energy beam erupted from the rifle, reducing one of the alien machines to scrap and severely damaging two others that had strayed too close.

As if on cue, the Variable Weapons System's dedicated display flashed.

**WEAPON ACQUIRED**

"Don't mind if we do..." Raito muttered with a grin while the MECs finished the job.

"This system is just crazy..." Maito muttered.

"_Those wings..."_ the Major thought, eyeing the X-1 with a pensive frown. _"__J__ust a coincidence or…?"_

Shaking those thoughts aside, he resumed his offensive.

Lan and Hub couldn't help noticing that this Gespenst RV was easily a cut above the rest of the machines, and not just by its flight capabilities. The agility and speed with which it moved, along with the power of its weapons, suggested it would easily be a match for any of the Robot Masters.

"_Another mystery for later..." _Lan thought as the RV proceeded to unleash a flurry of energy beams, dodging and weaving out of the way of incoming fire much like a top of the line jet fighter.

"Something else is coming..." Alyona chimed in from the bridge before a grin crept up across her face. "Looks like the tea guzzler finally decided to join us."

Barreling through the air, the Leonarch flew past the others and pounced on one of the alien machines, running its lance through the armored unit's torso before unceremoniously kicking it away. While the alien inside would live, the machine wasn't going anywhere.

"You're late." Raito quipped. "I thought you guys up in Albion prided yourselves on punctuality."

"It's called fashionably late." Alexander quipped back. Not bothering to retrieve the lance, he spun his construct around and brought the sword to bear on another armored unit heading his way.

"And now..." Alexander announced as the blade began to glow with a white flame. "SMITE!"

With a thunderous impact, he brought the sword down in a vicious swing. His target was not simply cut, but was instead torn apart by an explosion at the point of impact.

Then another alien took aim and a volley of energy projectiles struck the Leonarch's left flank before Alexander could raise the shield.

"You alien mongrels..." Atreus snarled, baring his teeth. "The amount of blood in your hands is already beyond measure! No more!"

"Wait!" Raito cried out, to no avail as the enraged Neo Atlantean charged right into the fray, sword raised and murder in his eyes.

"Atreus, no!" Maito called out.

"Atreus, yes!" the Father hissed with glee.

Amelia watched apprehensively as her brother's face contorted into a hateful expression that made her distinctly uncomfortable to look at. With a burst of speed, he descended upon the armored unit responsible, cut off the arm holding the rocket launcher and delivered a vicious punch to the faceplate with the left fist.

"_What's going on here?" _she thought with growing concern. _"You couldn't even spar with those practice swords because you were afraid of hurting someone and now..."_

"Calm down." Alexander chimed in, also taken aback by the outburst. "It'll take more than that."

The lion-themed machine definitely seemed to be made of the same materials as the Apotheosis, as even without the Aura Barrier the rocket impact had only made a small dent, exposing some strange white crystalline substance underneath the surface.

"_No doubt about it..."_ Lan thought, watching as the crystals quickly grew, patching the hole and returning the surface to its smooth, polished appearance in instants.

"You should not let your mind wander in a place like this." the pilot of the red MEC cautioned, gunning down an alien machine that was preparing to take a shot at the blue Gespenst.

"What's going on over there?" the pilot of the white MEC wondered, seized by a sudden headache as he turned his attention to the Apotheosis.

"I don't..." his companion in the red machine tried to say before feeling the same sensation.

From above, between taking potshots at some of the aliens, Gilliam watched the situation below.

"_This is not good… At this rate Asaru may need to step in..."_

Once again, Atreus felt his perception being assaulted by the painful awareness of countless flickering flames. The left hand of the Apotheosis started glowing with the same menacing, burning golden radiance it had displayed in Olisipo.

"_Lives..."_ he realized. _"Struggling, flickering, fading… all because of these…!"_

"Brother..." Amelia intervened, grabbing his shoulder. "Stop before you do something you'll regret."

"Not this again..." the Son hissed. "Stop it."

Realizing what was happening, Atreus froze in place. The strange perception abruptly faded, along with the burning light, and he severed the left leg of the armored unit before flying away. At the same time, the two MEC pilots felt their headaches fade as abruptly as they had come.

As the Atlantean relic landed, Alexander moved the Leonarch closer.

"Still with us?" Alexander asked.

"Mostly..." Atreus said with a sigh, before turning to Amelia.

"Take over Sis." he said with a weary look on his face. "I don't trust myself right now."

"Is that it?" the Father scoffed. "It does not take much to rattle you, boy."

"You shut up." Amelia retorted, for the second time showing a hint of steel in the presence of the being.

"Well well..." the Father remarked. "It would seem this bird does have talons. Your brother's keeper, are you?"

"You never know when to stop, do you?" the Son intervened.

"Take a break." Alexander said, just as an even larger armored unit stomped into view. "I'll pick up the slack."

With that, the Leonarch spun around and raised its right hand at the newcomer. In a white flash, it transformed into a cannon shaped like the head of a lion with its maw agape.

"_Huh?" _Raito thought, watching the scene.

"_That light..." _Maito thought. _"Just like..."_

"Judgement Buster!" Alexander cried out before a white energy orb shot out of it, bursting on impact.

From his office, Asaru monitored the situation.

"That machine is a liability, whatever it is." the Commander pondered, watching the Apotheosis. "I don't know what's going on, but it's clear that the pilot's emotional state needs to be kept in check."

With that, he gripped the device on his desk and it flared with the strange blue light.

"Most of the enemy force is already routed. Best to end this quickly before things get out of hand."

"Crap..." Atreus hissed, trying to clear his head. "I almost flew off the handle again..."

"You need to do something about that temper..." Amelia warned.

"I'll be fine..." he reassured her. "Having you around definitely helps. In fact, it's strange… I'm almost a little too calm."

The pilot inside the white MEC momentarily stopped in place.

"_What is this energy? This… presence? I've felt it before."_

"_Commander?"_ the pilot in the red MEC thought.

As the two soldiers glanced around, they noticed that their companions seemed to be affected as well. Their aim became subtly steadier, their reactions smoother. On the other hand, something different was happening to the enemy.

As the rest of the Robot Masters finally caught up, someone else noticed the shift in the battle.

"I don't know what's going on, but something funny is happening to the aliens." Raito chimed in.

Indeed, the remaining alien machines seemed to be moving erratically. One of them in particular even dropped its weapon and tried to flee. Some others simply froze in place.

"What is the meaning of this?" Aya asked, already charging the Spark Machine's capacitors.

Drawing upon his training as a martial artist, Dex tried to read the situation. While he couldn't see the faces of the enemy pilots, he recognized enough of the movement patterns.

"I think they're panicking." he deduced. "Keep pushin'!"

With that, he unleashed a Rocket Punch, knocking a pair of enemy units off their feet.

"_Still…"_ Chisao pondered. _"It's normal for soldiers to panic in a battle, but… there's something almost unnatural to this."_

"Take as many alive as you can." Asaru advised. "It's time we got some answers."

Maria activated the Gemini Machine's hard light barrier again, striding across the battlefield while her temporary doppelgangers punched and kicked the alien machines around her, each delivering a single blow before disappearing.

"_When did she get so skilled with the Gemini?" _Raito wondered. _"Has she been sneaking in some extra practice?"_

In her wake, Aya and Shingo immobilized some of the remaining alien machines with Spark Shocks and Drill Missiles. Whether the strange energy spreading across the battlefield was influencing them as well or they were simply tired of the old song and dance, they seemed more interested in coordinating with the young genius than in bickering again.

"_Now I've seen it all..." _Maito thought, surprised by the sight. _"And all it took was him messing up his throat?"_

* * *

Half an hour later…

The arrival of the Robot Masters had effectively marked the end of the protracted battle. With that out of the way, the twins had gathered everyone in front of the hidden base in the Black Forest.

"What's with Shingo?" Atreus asked, noticing how quiet he had been since his arrival.

"It looks like he's temporarily lost his voice." Maria explained with a shrug, looking clearly amused. "Dr. Jasmine says it's from all that screaming when he got all fired up."

"_At least he can't __g__et in pointless arguments__ with Aya like that..."_ she thought, rolling her eyes.

"What's all this then?" Raito asked as he looked around, gazing towards a rock outcropping where one of the hatches leading to the hangar lay ajar.

"Anyone else getting some serious Bond villain vibes from this setup?" Maito remarked.

"Welcome." Captain Devon said after he finished disembarking from his own machine in front of the hatch. "Please, do come in. You can land your machines on the platform below and we'll find space for them in the underground hangars. You can lock them down if you wish, but nobody will touch them without your express permission."

In the meeting room, they found Asaru waiting for them, standing behind a desk, with the Major seated on a chair beside him. The Commander patiently waited until everyone was seated before beginning.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming." he said with a nod. "I am sure you have many questions, and I will try to answer them to the best of my ability provided that they do not compromise our operational security. For the sake of all our joint efforts, I must ask that you refrain from commenting any of what you see and hear with outside parties, at least for the time being."

"_What's the deal with this guy?" _Raito wondered. _"He's standing right in front of us, but..."_

The others definitely felt something odd about Asaru's presence as well, though they couldn't quite describe it. It was as if the man's face had been designed to be as plain and nondescript as possible, completely forgettable and able to effortlessly blend into a crowd.

He then stepped out from behind the desk.

"While we have no intentions of interfering with the way the Robot Masters operate, as we discussed with Commander Hikari we will be keeping in touch and cooperating more directly from here on out."

"Commander Hikari?" Raito asked, recalling the stories of his father and uncle's younger days. "Isn't that what they called you back..."

"Yes. The Volunteer Navi Corps." Lan said with a nod.

"Feels like a lifetime ago..." Hub recalled.

"Some of you are already familiar with Captain Devon." Asaru said as the man in question stepped into the room and took a seat. "It is also time we introduced you to some other staff members who will be working with you in the times to come."

A striking young woman with dark brown hair running down her shoulders and matching eyes stepped into the room, wearing a white labcoat over a black business dress with matching stockings and shoes. She carried herself with an air of confidence as she made her way to Asaru's side, with a glimmer of steely determination in her eyes even as she smiled at the Commander's guests, studying them intently.

Behind her, a pretty young woman with a soft expression followed closely, wearing a green dress uniform, knee high socks and a pair of green shoes, carrying a stack of plastic folders. Her brown hair was cut short, reaching just above the shoulders. Judging by her facial features, she appeared to be related to the first woman, but slightly younger, with softer cheeks and a more energetic disposition. Though the eyes were the same shade, she surveyed the room with a gentle gaze, a gentle smile on display all the while.

As the two women crossed Atreus and Amelia's line of sight, something strange happened. The siblings felt a strange tension in the air and discreetly exchanged glances. If the women felt anything, they did not outwardly show it, and nobody else in the room appeared to notice anything… except for Asaru, whose eyebrows rose ever so slightly.

"_What was that?"_ Atreus silently wondered, feeling another sudden bout of disorientation, thankfully nowhere near as bad as the ones that had struck him in the middle of battle.

Frustrated, he glanced around nervously. The strange bouts of dizziness had never occurred outside the Apotheosis before, and the lack of answers was growing increasingly unsettling.

"_The doctors couldn't find anything… What's wrong with me?"_

"This is our head of research, Professor Thorn." Asaru said, nodding towards the first woman. "A certified genius and an invaluable member of this team."

"I would have thought the Major was your head of research." Lan noted. "After all, he did design the Gespenst line, right?"

"While the Major is a talented engineer, his skill set is too vast to be confined to one particular role." Asaru clarified. "You could think of him and the Captain as my right hand men."

"And this here..." Asaru added, glancing at the second woman. "This is Staff Sergeant Thorn. Yes, they are sisters."

"Already a Staff Sergeant?" Raito wondered. "You look pretty young, Miss."

He knew better than to ask for a lady's age after some experiences with Yai a few years prior, but he was definitely curious.

"I had an early start." the Staff Sergeant said with a soft smile. "Our father comes from a distinguished line of servicemen."

"There are two more people I would like to introduce to you." the Major said. "Two fine soldiers under my supervision who will be acting as liaisons with the Robot Masters."

"Allow me to introduce..." the Major said as two young men in the same model of piloting suit as the Captain entered the room, one plain and with a soft, rather boyish face, ruffled red hair and dark hazel eyes and the other blond with blue eyes, almost as ridiculously handsome as Alexander. "Master Sergeant Ray and Lieutenant Deikun."

"Well, this is a surprise..." Raito said with a self-satisfied grin. "I can guess who they are."

"Those two in the white and red machines." Maito added. "I'm sure of it."

"Really now?" the blond man asked with a good-natured smile. "What gave us away?"

"I can't really put my finger on it, but..." Raito jokingly answered, glancing at the markings on their suits. "You two just stand out. Besides, I remember your voices on the comms."

Raito then turned his head to Atreus.

"Can you believe it? They don't look that much older than you!"

"Actually..." Maito added, glancing at Alexander. "Are you sure you're not related to the Lieutenant here?"

"Who knows?" the Prince replied with a shrug. "With a face like that, he might be from my mother's side of the family."

On the other side of the room, Maria watched intently, while Shingo sat in the back, still annoyed at his temporary inability to speak.

"_I wonder..." _Aya thought. _"Maybe the Queen has a lost brother or a distant cousin we don't know about?"_

"_I definitely was not expecting to find them here..." _the Major thought, watching the pair of soldiers. _"But even if they are not the same, it seems their talents are close enough. I just hope __h__istory will not repeat itself__..."_

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Sanctum of the Founders...

"That machine is enough of a burden on them as it is..." Cadmus said with a sad look on his face as he finished going over the footage of the battle. "I can't even begin to imagine how we'd get around to explaining… the rest."

"Do they really need that kind of baggage though?" a familiar voice whispered in his ear. "I know what Lan said bothered you. It bothered me too, but won't telling them be even worse?"

"I hate keeping secrets." Cadmus lamented, visibly frustrated. "Hate, hate, hate. I thought I'd gotten over that skata twenty years ago."

He sighed and abruptly turned away.

"Where are you going?" Ciel asked.

"The workshop. I need something to keep my hands busy."

"Wait." she said, scurrying over to him.

"Talk to me." she pleaded, placing her hands on his shoulders.

Relaxing slightly, he turned to face her and sighed.

"Did we... do the right thing back then?" he asked, with a very tired look on his face.

"We did what we could with what we had." she said. "We took what was given to us and found a way to make it work. Nobody can blame us for wanting to protect them."

"I hope they'll see it that way." he said, before letting out another sigh. "Considering we already failed them before."

"So that's what this is about..." she realized.

"You're not going to turn back into a neurotic bundle of stress." Ciel said, pulling him into a hug. "You hear me?"

"I hear you." he whispered, his expression visibly relaxing as he pressed his forehead against hers. "Never again."

"Good." she said with a smile. "The only way through this is forward. Together."

"You're right." Cadmus said with a nod. "And now that the flight units are ready, it's time I got to work on another thing..."

"Not getting ideas about growing your hair again, are you?" she teased.

"Not exactly." he said rather sheepishly. "But there's something else I'm very close to completing."

"Giving it another try then?" she asked with a knowing smile.

He simply nodded in response.

"I think this time you might be able to make it work." she noted. "The schematics are sound. It's just a matter of calibrations."

"We'll find out soon enough." he said with a nod before catching her in an embrace.

"It's stifling to be cooped up down here all the time, just working behind the scenes." he lamented. "The work we're doing here is important, but..."

"I know." Ciel said, lightly squeezing him. "I hate seeing what this invasion and that machine are doing to our children."

"We'll need to find a solution soon enough, before things get even more out of hand. I'm still wondering if Fairy was right..."

"Are you thinking about getting the first prototype out of mothballs?"

"I'm still not sure if that would be a good idea…" he pondered. "But it would be good to have more options."

With that, he gave her a quick kiss before heading for the elevator, emerging a few floors below moments later.

With measured steps, he stepped into a small, isolated workshop and locked the door behind him before turning to a workbench where several exotic components and strange handheld tools were resting. He picked one up and resumed his work.

* * *

Another hour passed, during which Ciel consulted her mother and the Guardians regarding some schematics, then decided to give her head a bit of rest.

In a locked room in the depths of the Sanctum to which only three people had the key, Cadmus continued his work. Satisfied with his progress, he stopped and reached into a drawer underneath the surface of the workbench and retrieved two small crystalline objects, one blue and one green, and held each in one hand between his thumb and index fingers. As he did so, the light of the nearby desk lamp made it seem almost as if they glowing.

"So..." he muttered. "What do you think?"

"Yes..." the familiar voice whispered in his ear. "Either of these will do nicely."

"Come on..." he muttered. "Gotta pick one."

"Don't want to be copycats." the familiar voice whispered in his ear.

"I suppose not." he said with a shrug before setting the blue crystal on the workbench and stowing the green one back in the drawer.

Next, he reached for a pair of delicate tweezers, which he used to pick up the blue crystal and carefully set it in a larger holding assembly.

"Remember what happened to the last few test models..." the familiar voice whispered warily.

Once again, he reached for the device on the workbench and resumed his work.

"I know." Cadmus said with a nod as he began to set the holding assembly in a cylindrical casing. "The orichalcum power cells were over-tuned or the focusing lenses were the wrong thickness. This time, it'll be..."

"Perfect." he added as the last of the components slid into place with a satisfying click.

He paused for a moment with a gleeful, almost childlike smile and took the finished object in his right hand.

"What do you think?" he wondered out loud. "I believe this will do."

With the flip of a switch and a snap-hiss, the chamber lit up with a blue luminescence. Satisfied, he paused to examine his work. A moment later, his shadow on a nearby wall began to shift, becoming taller and slightly bulkier, and his eyes started glowing faintly with a strange green light.

"Yes..." Cadmus said with a nod and an excited grin, his voice shifting from its usual soft tone, becoming deeper, more commanding as the glow in his eyes intensified. "This will do nicely."

The Imperative deactivated the object, stowed it in his breast pocket and stepped outside, locking the door behind him. With his eyes returning to normal, he strode through the halls, heading through another basement level, until he heard another very familiar voice.

With a mischievous grin, he snuck into a nearby chamber, where he found Ciel, clad in a simple but elegant pink dress, glancing at something on a large monitor mounted on a wall. Thankful that the latest pneumatic door models were completely silent, he snuck up behind her and pulled her into his arms.

"Do you treat all my alternate selves this way?" she teased. "Does the other me know?"

He froze for a moment, but then let out a soft laugh and lightly ruffled her hair.

"Nice try." he retorted with a grin. "I almost fell for that one."

He then leaned closer and whispered in her ear.

"But after all the time we've spent together, I have my ways of telling you apart."

"Should I come back later?" another voice identical to hers asked, clearly amused.

The two turned their heads and saw another woman, with a face and build identical to Ciel's, clad in an ordinary white labcoat, half open with a pink sweater peeking underneath and with matching trousers and shoes. She watched the two with a mischievous smile, standing there with her arms crossed.

"I'm guessing this little prank was your idea?" Cadmus asked with a playful smirk.

"Oh please." the woman retorted with a snort. "I don't need to give myself any more ideas."

"Perfect timing, actually." Cadmus said before withdrawing the object he had just finished assembling from his pocket and holding it in front of the woman. "What do you think?"

"I knew you'd figure it out eventually." the woman said with a nod as she cast an appraising look at the polished metal cylinder. "I guess it was only a matter of time."

"I wasn't going to sit on the sidelines forever." Cadmus asked. "After all..."

"We have a lot to live up to." he added, his voice once again deepening and the green glow in his eyes returning.

"I'm still surprised you were able to keep this hidden from almost everyone..." the woman identical to Ciel said.

"By the way..." Ciel chimed in. "How are things on your side of the mirror?"

"Still calm, thankfully." the other woman said. "But you know the boys haven't let themselves grow complacent. As for me, well… you know."

"I'm glad X is out and about." Cadmus said. "Lan and Hub need all the help they can get."

"Agreed." the other woman said before her face contorted into a scowl. "I'm still not too sure about your… Pantheon though."

"Yes, you did give me an earful the first time..." Cadmus reminisced, looking much like a mischievous child recalling a good prank. "And the second. And the third..."

"You were always a stubborn one." the woman said with a scoff. "Much like a boy I used to know."

"The Robot Masters on your Earth caused their fair share of havoc." Cadmus pointed out. "Still, the twins took their name as tribute to the original intent behind their design. Yes, the Pantheon's design can be rather unsettling, but this is not and will never become another Neo Arcadia. We will see to that."

"I wasn't a big fan of the idea myself." Ciel recalled. "But we can't deny how effective they've been."

"Also, I would be lying if I said I don't have some concerns about what your little ones have been up to..." the woman said. "Things can get unpredictable out there."

"We know." Cadmus said with a nod before his expression hardened. "And I don't appreciate the thought of some antediluvian asshole trying to play games with their heads."

He had always tried to remain polite in all situations, even more so after the birth of his children so as to set a good example for them. But with both of them away, he had the opportunity to vent some of his frustration and growing annoyance.

"To be honest, there's another concern on my mind as well." Ciel added.

"Oh?" the woman asked.

"He is remembering." Ciel said with a conflicted look on her face. "Slowly for now. Scattered bits. But..."

"The soul remembers." the woman said with a wistful smile. "Just like with my Zero, you can't really keep their true nature buried forever. I still don't know if you made the right choice or not, but I can't blame you for wanting to give them as normal a life as you could."

"Where is he anyway?" Cadmus asked, again with the deeper voice.

"Well..." the woman said with a beaming smile. "Let's just say that he's taken to the family life almost a little too well..."

With that, the woman checked her wristwatch.

"Time flies." she said with a sigh. "I have to head back. The Model G readouts are looking good, but I need to go over some other things on my end."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Ciel asked in a light-hearted tone.

"I think I'll hold on to this outfit for a little while longer." the other woman said with a playful smile. "After all, we're the same size… and it does bring me back to my days as a full time researcher..."

"Looking forward to your next visit." Ciel said with a smile, before giving the woman a hug, which she reciprocated.

"Take care." Cadmus added, before catching the two in a quick hug of his own.

After a few moments, the woman stepped into an adjacent room. The hum of some sort of high powered machinery began to grow in intensity, and after a brief flash of light everything was silent.

"Well then…" Ciel said after a while. "Time to get back to work."

"We should definitely try to set some time aside to talk to the children about the Apotheosis and the legacy of the old island though." Cadmus mused. "It's getting a bit annoying how every time we're about to do it something else happens."

"Don't jinx it." the deeper voice said through his mouth, noticeably annoyed. "This is getting repetitive."

"Before we can think about that, I have a meeting to attend." Ciel pointed out. "Since Lan decided to accept the invitation and these people seem to be at least competent, it's time to see if we can actually entrust them with some of our orichalcum reserves."

"I'm not too thrilled about the idea, seeing how close I came to opening a Pandora's Box before." Cadmus mused, recalling the experiments with Project Unity in their younger years. "But neither the Pantheon or the Robot Masters can be everywhere at the same time. We'll have to make some concessions."

"Hmm..." Ciel mused. "As much as I like the dress, I think I should make myself a little more presentable for a formal meeting."

The Imperative pouted, looking a little disappointed.

"Don't be like that." she said with a snort. "I can always change back later."

"Even after all these years, she's more adorable than anyone has the right to be..." the familiar voice whispered in the Imperative's ear.

"You're telling me..." he muttered under his breath, unable to pry his eyes away.

Feeling her gaze upon him, Cadmus grinned.

"Yes, we know, we're doing it again. There's nobody else here anyway."

* * *

A little over an hour later, the Great Harpuia landed in one of the hangars of the hidden base and from it emerged Ciel, wearing a more formal navy blue business dress and a matching coat, with the swan insignia prominently on display on the left side of her chest.

"A pleasure to meet you in person, Lady Affirmative." Asaru said with a polite nod as he came to greet her on the landing platform.

"Thank you, but such titles are not necessary here." she said calmly.

"Very well, Dr. Ciel." Asaru amended. "Will this do?"

"It will." she said. "Shall we?"

It was then that a second figure disembarked from the machine, taller than her and projecting a somewhat more imposing presence, clad from head to toe in some sort of light armored suit made out of an unusual black synthetic material. The visor, also black, blended in with the rest of the helmet, making it difficult to tell where exactly the figure was looking. From a holster on its belt, a polished metal cylinder of unusual design was hanging.

"And you are?" Asaru asked.

"Bodyguard." the figure replied tersely, its voice masked by the helmet.

"Unnecessary, but an understandable precaution." Asaru said, still perfectly calm. "Right this way then."

Asaru took his time, allowing the pair to take in their surroundings. However, he remained rather silent during their walk through the corridors, occasionally watching Ciel through the corner of his eye.

"_There is something… strange about this man..."_ she thought. _"Can't put my finger on it..."_

After a few moments, Asaru led her to the same meeting room from earlier, where she found two familiar faces waiting for them.

"Hi Ciel." Lan said with a wave as he stood with Hub by his side.

"Good thing you waited around." she said with a nod. "We need to discuss a few other things once we're done with this."

"Who's that with you, by the way?" Lan asked, glancing at the figure standing next to her.

"Just a faithful bodyguard." she said with a smile. "Anything we have to say, we can say in front of them."

There was something familiar about the figure's stance, but Lan couldn't quite put his finger on it. Instead, he walked up to the so-called bodyguard and stared at the helmet.

"I didn't know there was an opening for a Fifth Guardian." he remarked.

The figure stayed silent and motionless.

"Don't talk much, do you?" Lan prodded. "Fine..."

* * *

Around the same time, in another section of the base...

"It is as you surmise." Gilliam said as he stood in front of a screen where the image of a tall, powerfully built man with a distinctive crimson mane and matching beard stood, wearing a black business suit.

"I figured it was only a matter of time until you made contact." the man remarked with a smirk.

Almost everything about him, from his frame to the wide face, large nose, thick jawline and strong hands evoked the image of an ancient Norse warrior, barely restrained by the trappings of modern decorum and the attire of a businessman. The only clashing element was the fierce intellect shining behind his green eyes.

"Apologies for the contrivance, President Harkonnen." the Major said. "You know that some things need to happen at the appointed time and at the appropriate pace."

"In the end, I could not do much the last time the world was gripped by madness." the man lamented. "But this time, I'm in from the ground floor. Well then, what do you need from me today?"

"I would like to send a small delegation to the Hikari Laboratory to act as liaisons."

"I can think of two suitable people off the top of my head..." the towering man said.

"I thought you would say that." the Major said with a nod. "Tokito and Sakurai?"

"They do seem to have made an impression on you, Major."

"_You have no idea..." _the Major thought.

* * *

About half an hour later...

"Oh?" Amelia muttered as she spotted the familiar figure exiting the meeting room.

"Mother?" Atreus called out.

The lingering stress from the most recent confrontation instantly drained from the boy's face as he rushed to her side.

"We heard you were coming, but we didn't know where exactly you were." he said with a beaming smile.

"What he means to say is that he got lost." Amelia chimed in.

"And you wanted to see their research division." Atreus pointed out. "I can't believe they actually let us in there."

"So did you." Amelia countered. "Don't try to hide it. You're as much of a nerd as the rest of us."

Then her face lit up in a mischievous grin.

"Or was it the Professor you really wanted to see?"

The strange feeling in the meeting room had caught him by surprise, but he did not take her bait. Instead, he tried to change the subject.

"So, what do you think of all of this?" he asked, turning to Ciel. "And the man running things?"

"This Commander is a man of mysteries..." Ciel said. "But he's been surprisingly accommodating, all things considered."

"So you're actually giving them access to our orichalcum reserves?" Atreus asked.

"A small sample." Ciel clarified. "We have too much ground to cover, even with the new flight units. We'll just have to see how well they use it."

"It's getting late." Amelia realized, checking her wristwatch. "We should probably start heading home."

"You go on ahead." Atreus said. "There's… something I need to check and then I'll join you."

"Oh?" Ciel asked jokingly. "Don't tell me you're thinking about running off to sign up with this group or something."

"I don't think so." Atreus said, shaking his head. "But now that I finally have the chance to meet some of these people face to face… I guess I'd like to talk to them. I may have an absurdly powerful machine, but they're more experienced. I'd do well to learn a little from them."

"_I'm glad that power isn't getting to his head." _Ciel thought in relief. _"Still, it's clearly troubling him. __W__e'll need to do something soon.__"_

The masked bodyguard watched silently from the doorway, giving them some space. Once Atreus had left, he stepped into view, holding a damaged robot in the shape of a black bird.

"It seems we are done here." he said.

"For now." Ciel said with a nod.

Amelia glanced at the masked figure and quirked an eyebrow.

"And you are?" she asked.

"Bodyguard." he said simply.

While she did not recognize the voice through the modulator, there was something intensely familiar about the figure's presence. Tired from the flight and the battle, though, she did not insist further.

* * *

Another couple of hours later...

On the way back home, alone in the cockpit once again, Atreus paused for a moment somewhere over the ocean, taking the opportunity to gather his thoughts now that things were temporarily quiet.

As if on cue, the flying armored figure he had seen before appeared out of nowhere, soaring through the air almost as if dancing.

"You..."

Once again, he had the distinct feeling that the figure was looking directly at him with a smile, though the mask showed no hint of the wearer's emotions.

"Who are you?" Atreus wondered. "Why do you keep popping up like this?"

Once again, the figure waved at him in an absurdly casual way, before darting into the distance. Intrigued, he tried to follow, but it disappeared too quickly and he could no longer sense its presence.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an alien command vessel stationed near the Martian moon Phobos…

"This whole thing was a complete waste of time..." Belphes lamented as he stood in a lavishly decorated office.

"Was it?" his older superior retorted with an undecipherable expression as he sat behind his extravagant desk sipping some sort of crimson beverage from a glass. "Or was it a necessary sacrifice?"

The expression on his thin, almost gaunt blue face lined with graying sideburns reminded the lower ranking alien of a predator he had seen during the initial reconnaissance of Earth. The eyes, bloodshot and with yellow irises, did not help matters.

"Sir?"

"You have seen it yourself. They have become addled, weak. Their discipline has been faltering due to the lack of proper battles. Fleeing? Ejecting? Better that they bleed out in the mud."

The lower ranking alien winced, but decided against voicing his opinion on the matter any further.

"Besides..." his superior added. "While those primitive fools were busy dealing with the chaff, the real work continued unabated."

* * *

Elsewhere...

"How much long are you going to keep us here?!" a woman asked.

"As long as it takes." a second woman asked, perfectly composed. "Or do you think it's safe to go running around on your own the way things are now? You've seen the news."

"What?"

"The world is falling apart. We did not pull you out of your predicament just so you could go and get yourselves killed out there. Think of your daughters."

"What do you know about my daughters?!" the first woman demanded with a hint of panic seeping into her tone.

"I know enough. I know what they are doing." the second woman said with a hint of smug amusement. "Vigilo Confido?"

"Where the bleeding hell did you hear those words?!" a man's voice hissed, grizzled and with a peculiar accent.

"My dear Major..." the second woman said with a hint of amusement. "There is very little I do not know. They are perfectly safe where they are now. Especially given their most recent acquaintances..."

"What do you mean?" the first woman asked, caught off guard.

"When we first met you remarked on my face. Well then, take a look at this..."

The first woman gasped as a still image appeared on the monitor.

"No… It can't be…"

"It can, and it is." the second woman said. "With him around… you can be sure no one will lay a finger on either of them."

"Those eyes… that face..." the first woman muttered, caught by surprise. "No doubt about it..."

* * *

In a lavishly decorated lobby, a few floors below...

As the elevator doors opened, a tall, slim figure emerged with slow, measured steps, clad from head to toe in white garments with a futuristic, sleek cut, fashioned from some sort of synthetic material that left no surface uncovered. Even the hands were covered in matching white gloves. The hood of its coat, draped over its head, seemed to contain some sort of unnatural black shadow that concealed the wearer's face completely.

"So this is the Prometheus Group's headquarters… not too shabby." the figure said in a man's voice.

Behind an elaborately carved wooden counter, the receptionist, a young woman in an elegant black dress, stared at the newcomer, caught by surprise.

"Who are you? How did you get here?"

"Who I am is of no consequence." the newcomer replied in a rather casual tone, indifferent to the way the woman scrambled for a concealed alarm button underneath the counter top.

"As for how I got here…" the stranger added, his steps echoing on the marble floor. "Well, your group were discreet enough, but still falls into some typical patterns and I have some experience uncovering hidden things."

A pane of bulletproof glass quickly deployed from a concealed fixture, shielding the woman. Mere instants later, a group of men and women in black business suits rushed in, their faces concealed underneath sunglasses. Taking point, the apparent leader confronted the intruder.

"Who sent you?" Hades demanded, the barest hint of steel seeping into his tone. "What do you want?"

"I sent myself." the hooded man retorted rather casually, as the guards behind Hades reached into concealed holsters. "You can put the artillery away. If I meant you any harm, we would not be having this conversation."

The Director watched the exchange through the security camera feed on a monitor in her office, her composure momentarily faltering as she froze in place, perplexed.

"You just waltzed in here like you were going into a cafe." Hades countered. "What did you expect?"

"Something like this, actually." the hooded figure admitted with a shrug, his calm tone almost infuriating. "But you are not the one I am here to speak to."

"Well, too bad." the Head of Security retorted. "You haven't given me any reason not to consider you an intruder and-"

"That's enough, Hades." a petite woman somewhere in her thirties, clad in a black business dress, intervened as she stepped into the lobby through a side door. "I will deal with this."

Her golden hair was cut short, barely touching her shoulders. On her soft face, she wore a stony, unreadable expression as she beheld the stranger invading her workplace, her blue eyes dissecting and analyzing the situation. Though petite in stature, the effect of her commanding presence was instantly noticeable as the rest of the staff stood a little straighter.

"Ah." the hooded figure said, turning to look at her. "I trust I am speaking to the elusive Director?"

She walked past Hades and the rest of the security staff and stared directly at the intruder, or at least as directly as she could through the strange hood concealing his face.

"Who are you and what do you want?" she asked, perfectly calm and composed.

"Now, now." the intruder said, a hint of irreverence seeping into his tone. "Not the most friendly of introductions."

"You may very well have saved my life back there, but I have neither the time or the inclination for games." the Director countered.

"What?" Hades interjected, caught by surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"In the Milan office." she clarified. "Falling debris."

She then turned to the hooded intruder again.

"What exactly were the motives for your assistance?" she asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"I did not need a motive." the hooded figure retorted, shaking his head. "Up until that point, I did not even know you existed."

"What were you doing there then?" she insisted.

"Dealing with unrelated matters. Namely mitigating the damage from this accursed invasion."

"By breaking into a secure office building?" she countered.

"Not as secure as you had hoped, by the state I found it in." the hooded figure retorted.

Behind the woman, Hades' eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly, betraying his annoyance at the affair.

"That does not answer the main question." she said. "Why are you here?"

"Some privacy, perchance?" the stranger requested, glancing towards the security staff behind her for emphasis.

"_You've got some nerve..." _Hades thought, increasingly annoyed, but maintaining his neutral expression.

"Very well." the Director said, much to her Head of Security's surprise. "I suppose it would be a small courtesy after the one you afforded me."

She then glanced over her shoulder.

"Thank you for your prompt response. All of you except Hades can go back to what you were doing."

"_What are you doing?"_ Hades thought incredulously.

Without question or hesitation, the rest of the staff retreated. The receptionist retracted the bulletproof glass barrier with the push of a button and did the same, heading for a nearby break room.

Once the three were alone, the hooded figure nodded.

"I do appreciate this indulgence." he remarked.

"My Head of Security should be more than enough to deal with any funny business." she pointed out. "Besides, as you said, if you meant any meant any harm then you would not have bothered with all of this. So shall we dispense the theatrics and get to the point?"

"Very well, Director. I will speak plainly."

"You can start by taking off that ridiculous hood then." Hades intervened.

"Sorry, but the hood stays on." the stranger said, wagging a gloved finger. "That is non-negotiable. As for what I want… well…"

The Director felt his gaze upon her, piercing and intent, despite not being able to see his face.

"I am here to take the measure of your character." he said, much to her confusion.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" she asked.

"I can see that you have plans, and they tie into the invasion, the fate of this world and Neo Atlantis. Should I find your character agreeable and your end goals and methods acceptable, I will consider lending you my skills, at least for a time."

"And why exactly?" the Director asked, her eyes betraying her pensive state as she continued to stare, determined, unblinking.

"I too have an interest in the future." the hooded man said. "And your role in it."

The Director pondered all of this, her brow furrowed in concentration, and after a few moments she finally spoke again.

"Breaking in here cannot have been a simple feat." she reasoned. "Someone of your talents could prove useful."

"Should you make a nuisance of yourself, however…" Hades added. "I will be watching."

"Watch all you like." the hooded man retorted with a shrug. "That is to be expected."

"Well then…" the Director intervened. "What shall we call you?"

"Scutum will do." the hooded man said. "I have no last name to give you, but I suppose Malakh will do as well as anything else."

"Really, now?" Hades intervened.

"Still better than Hades Sardonicus." the hooded man retorted without skipping a beat.

"_That was a low blow..."_ Hades thought, glancing at the Director. _"But he's not wrong. Last time __y__ou__ pick an alias __for __m__y __p__apers__."_

* * *

A few hours later…

After returning the Robot Masters home, the Morskoy Lev carried their machines to Neo Atlantis where the long-awaited flight units were finally ready to be installed. While the pre-programmed machinery took care of the more tedious aspects of the task, mostly slotting cubical black boxes into the internal fixtures that had been set aside for them, Lan took the time to have a little chat via remote conference from his home.

"Thanks for finding the time for this." Lan said with a grateful smile.

"It's only natural to want to keep family safe." Ciel said, with a smile of her own as she finished assembling something on her desk with a set of precision tools.

The door opened with a pneumatic hiss and Cadmus stepped inside, carrying a steaming mug of tea. He approached the desk and set the mug down, and Ciel looked over her shoulder, giving him a grateful smile. He smiled back and gave her a quick hug, before turning his attention to the screen.

"So..." Cadmus said, turning to the screen. "Do you have everything else you need for now?"

"Yes..." Lan said with a nod. "The next phase of the Robot Masters project will be a reality soon."

"We'll do what we can to have that last component ready in the next couple of days." Ciel said.

"By the way..." Lan added. "Who was the bodyguard earlier today? I didn't know there was an opening for a Fifth Guardian."

Once again, the familiar voice laughed in the Imperative's ear.

"_Soon… partner."_


	13. Workplace Violence

Chapter 13 – Workplace Violence

While his friends left for other parts, Alexander lingered in the base underneath the Black Forest a bit longer. As he surveyed his surroundings and a few dozen uniformed men and women ran back and forth through the corridors dealing with their respective tasks, he spotted the man who had been introduced as Captain Deikun.

"Are you lost?" the man asked, once again flashing a smile worthy of any A-list movie lead.

"Just looking around before heading back." Alexander said with a shrug. "Getting to know the place a little better. I have the feeling I'll be seeing a lot more of it in the future."

"I would think that you would prefer something closer to home." the Lieutenant said. "Or perhaps you're not aware of our facility in Albion?"

"Really?" Alexander asked, quirking an eyebrow. "A film studio? They weren't pulling my leg?"

"Silly, but inspired." the Lieutenant pointed out. "The kind of place where people would expect to see strange things. If you think that's weird though, then wait until you hear about the Moonbase."

"You mean some sort of monitoring post, or an actual base with a garrison?" Alexander asked, before quickly shaking his head. "No, never mind. I don't want to get you in trouble, even if technically I am the crown prince of a member of the Council of Nations."

"Ah yes." the Lieutenant said, smiling again. "I thought I'd recognized your face from the news. How did you end up involved in this though?"

"The same way as the rest of my friends." Alexander said with a shrug. "Choice… and perhaps a dose of fate, if you believe in such things."

"Quite an intriguing group you've got there." the Lieutenant said. "But I get the feeling I'll have the opportunity to know them better soon enough."

"What do you mean?"

"That liaison thing?" the Lieutenant pointed out. "Soon enough, I and a couple of others will be relocated to the Far Eastern division base. A facility codenamed Kiryu-Kai."

"I can't help wondering how a man like you ended up in such a position." Alexander mused. "With your face and natural charisma, you could make it big in Hollywood."

"Choice and fate, much like you." the Lieutenant said. "Not all of us are military or secret service types. We have people here from many walks of life. I think one of our squadmates used to be a professional model of all things."

"Really now?"

"I started as a civilian, with too much money and too little sense, and lost my way for a time until two remarkable people set me straight. Now I'm a soldier, fighting for Earth. When this is all over? Maybe an astronaut or an actor."

"Oh." a woman's voice interrupted, soft and gentle. "There you are."

Alexander saw a young woman, possibly in her early twenties, with a dark-skinned complexion that suggested she was of Indian or Arabic descent. She gazed upon the two with expressive brown eyes, framed by a soft face. Her smooth black hair was caught in a bun behind her head, and the immaculate labcoat she was wearing over a green uniform bore the blue X-COM insignia and a second badge, identifying her as medical personnel.

"Amuro was right." she said with noticeable amusement as she took a good look at Alexander's face. "He could definitely be related to you, Casval. Something you want to tell me?"

"I don't think I could look that good in gray." the Lieutenant replied with a soft laugh. "But where are my manners? Your Royal-"

"Please, no titles..." Alexander said, feeling a little embarrassed. "My name is Sean Alexander of House Bright. That's all I need."

"Very well then, Alex." the Lieutenant corrected. "I would like you to meet the light of my world. One of the two reasons why I'm probably standing here today. My fiancee, Lalah."

"I'm sure the women of this world will curse my name if you do decide to get into acting." she joked.

"Is that why you cooked up that stage name?" the Lieutenant asked with a scoff.

"I don't know where I got it from." she said with a shrug. "Some strange dream, maybe?"

Then she turned to Alexander, smiling again.

"You've come a long way. How about joining us for some tea before you go?"

Unnoticed by the others, Gilliam watched from a distance.

"_Another item on the list of things I was not prepared for…"_ the Major thought, with a haunted look on his face._ "__But __with her around, maybe things will be different this time.__"_

Eventually, he let out a quiet sigh and walked away, leaving them to their devices.

* * *

That evening, in Neo Atlantis…

With a long day finally over, Atreus lay awake in bed, thinking about the events that had transpired. The hours after the battle had practically raced by. He recalled the meeting, and what had been said, but it felt as if time had become unhinged – or perhaps his perception of it had slipped due to his state of fatigue.

"We believe that we will be much more effective if we pool our efforts and resources." Asaru had said. "Regardless of how our other negotiations will progress, I would like to say this much."

His thoughts then drifted to the two sisters, seemingly a little too young to be in such a place, but surprisingly competent. The older, the apparent head of research, had struck him as determined and focused. The younger, one of the Commander's assistants, had struck him as gentle and kind. He had not spoken to either directly during the meeting, simply observing them, but something about both of them had felt off for reasons he couldn't quite explain.

"_One of them almost reminds me of Roll… and the other… I don't know…"_ he silently mused. _"But why do I feel like I've met them before somewhere?"_

The highlight of the day, adding to his unease, had been some of the knowledge shared by Asaru during the meeting.

"_We have been fighting a shadow war for the heart, soul and future of humanity since the days before the Reordering. __After several years without a __concrete target__ though, __and __with__ the governments of the world growing doubtful, __it was the Asteroid Incident and the Day of Sigma that prevented the organization from being relegated to passive monitoring __with a skeleton crew__."_

The notion of a clandestine military and intelligence organization operating globally with the approval of the world's governments would have sounded like the stuff of nightmares, were it not for how committed its members seemed to be and how reasonable the people in charge appeared. Asaru was still an enigma, but at least he could be understood, at least on a surface level.

"_I wonder what this will mean for all of us..."_ Atreus thought before his mind turned to other things.

At least, he mused, the young Robot Masters had seemed excited at the prospect of new allies and new technology to aid their cause.

Most unsettling to him, however, was the strange set of events that had begun on that fateful first day. The painful awareness of life around him, the strange bouts of disorientation at inconvenient times and the raw, seething anger threatening to rob him of his senses in the heat of battle. The sight of crumbling buildings and burning fields during his mad dash from sea to sea was still etched upon his memory. The enormity and senselessness of it all were beyond his comprehension.

"_Why?" _he thought, racking his mind in an effort to answer that single question.

Without answers in sight and feeling fatigue settling in, he finally dozed off, into a fitful sleep.

* * *

The next morning, in the Far East...

After such a long journey, Maria had slept like a rock. Finally awakening, she slowly opened her eyes and lazily stretched her limbs.

She felt tempted to linger in bed a while longer, but then glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand and realized she would soon be late.

After showering and changing to a white shirt and matching skirt, socks and shoes, she skipped down the hallway, walking past the door to her brother's room, which was half open. From inside, she could hear Shingo's loud snoring. She peeked inside and saw that he had once again forgotten to take his glasses off before falling asleep.

"_Silly brother..." _she thought with an amused smile.

She headed inside, removed his glasses and set them safely on his nightstand before stepping back out. As she walked past the living room, decorated with polished metal furniture with a hi-tech design and walls laden with pictures of her mother's former students and various diplomas and awards, she spotted her father, still in green flannel pajamas, absently munching on some buttered toast while looking at some of the pictures.

With a smile, she edged closer, giving him a quick hug.

"Somebody's in a good mood today." Higsby remarked, patting her head with his free hand.

"It's a beautiful day outside." she said with a shrug. "No reason not to be happy."

"Already dressed up? Going somewhere?"

"I was planning to take that brother of mine too, but you know he can be impossible to wake up." she said, rolling her eyes.

"And where exactly are you going?" Higsby asked, straightening his thick glasses.

"You know that ice cream place downtown?" she asked with a beaming smile. "I want some of that before the whole year flies past us."

"Not alone, I hope?" he pointed out.

"I know." she said with a nod. "Crash is still coming with me."

"I thought you were going with Patch." Higsby said with a knowing smile.

"I would have, but he's at the lab doing who knows what." she said. "I'll just have to get enough for him too so he doesn't pout later."

Higsby's brown eyes lit up and a smile bloomed on his face, which some might have considered unsettling when combined with his unruly brown hair jotting out all over the place. This was his little girl, however, and she simply found it funny.

"_They grow up so fast..." _he thought, remembering the days when the Hikari twins had been about her size.

"Well then, do you have your PET?" he asked. "Do you have enough money for everything?"

"Yes." she said with a nod. "Aunt Yai covers all the expenses when we're out on official Robot Master business so I've hardly spent a zenny in weeks."

"Well, I'm not sure if this would count as official business." Higsby said, before reaching for his own green PET. "But that reminds me. Here's your allowance for the month."

With that, he made a transfer to her pocket spending account.

"Thanks." she said.

Her PET beeped and she reached for it, seeing two incoming messages. One from Maito asking if Shingo was coming and the other confirming the transfer. She typed a quick reply and then glanced at the transfer confirmation. As she did, her eyes widened slightly.

"Isn't this a bit too much?" she asked, turning to her father.

"You and your brother are worth your weight in gold." he said with a smile. "Now go out there and have a good time. Something like this isn't going to bankrupt me."

While things had changed since the days of the old Battle Chip shop, with Net Battling becoming more of a niche hobby, his business was still very successful and he had diversified into other areas in the field of IT, making use of the computer science degree he had taken before falling in with the WWW and then having his life turned around by a kind pair of brothers and their patient schoolteacher.

While he appreciated Yai's generosity and knew that such extravagances were here way of showing her appreciation to those around her, as a father he could not allow her to take over the role of provider for his children. While not obscenely rich as her and her husband, he was still a successful businessman and a hard worker, and he had sworn that his family would never want for anything.

As he watched her leave, he reached for his PET again.

"Feels like it was just yesterday, doesn't it?" he remarked.

"Time is a funny thing." the ever-faithful NumberMan said. "Who would have ever thought a couple of geeks like us would amount to anything?"

"The twins did. Not to mention Mariko. Even after the times we made asses of ourselves."

"All things considered, I think we were blessed." NumberMan mused. "That said… don't you think it's about time you did something about that hair?"

"Let it stay that way." Higsby said with a chuckle. "It's practically part of my trademark image. If I cut it off now, Mariko, the kids and my regulars might not recognize me anymore."

Outside her house, Maria found Maito, standing there with a large camping ice box. He had swapped into a blue tracksuit with matching running shoes and seemed to be in a very good mood.

"All set?" he asked.

"You bet." she replied, before noticing the ice box.

"Don't you think a thermal bag would have been enough?" she asked.

"Are you kidding?" Maito retorted with a chuckle. "Uncle Lan is as much of a glutton as Patch. Between the two, we'll be lucky if this lasts long enough for Mom and the others to have a taste."

"Well, they're not coming with us, so we get first pick." Maria said, excitedly rubbing her hands.

Noticing Maito's grin, she quickly tried to justify herself.

"I mean… I'm still growing and need plenty of energy." she hesitantly said. "I'm not out there running marathons, but… my brain..."

"You don't need to make excuses to enjoy something you like." he retorted with a shrug.

"Easy for you to say." she countered with a pout. "You never have to worry about putting on weight, Mr. MegaMan Jr."

"That may be true, synthetic body and all, but you're too young to be worrying about that." he retorted, smiling earnestly at her.

"Just make the most of it." he added, patting her shoulder. "It's a beautiful day, the machines are getting the flight units installed and for a change of pace, things are quiet."

"I don't believe in such things..." Maria noted, pressing a finger to her lips. "But best not to jinx it."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the base in the Black Forest...

"You never did tell us why the Commander decided to send us of all people to the Far East." Master Sergeant Ray recalled as he sat on a stool next to Captain Devon and Lieutenant Deikun, watching a news broadcast on a large flat screen TV in a bar next to the main cafeteria.

The place was decorated much like a typical turn of the century sports bar, common in Albion and other western nations, with one glaring exception. Instead of award plaques and pictures of celebrities, the walls were lined with display cases containing scale models of various mechanical units, from MEC troopers, to a Skyranger, as well as other, more outlandish models – one resembled some sort of flying saucer, while others bore a more terrestrial design style. One of the side walls was lined with pictures taken during missions, while another wall in the back was lined with framed pictures of soldiers fallen in the line of duty.

"Honestly, with your raw talent and dedication, you two are more than fit to be leading your own squad." Captain Devon said. "You don't need me or another officer looking over your shoulders. Besides, the Commander needs my help interrogating all the aliens we captured recently."

On the screen, several angry men with heavy tans gathered, shaking their fists. While the sound was muted, their indignation was evident. Meanwhile, the news text continued to scroll along the bottom.

"**HOLY SITES PLUNDERED ACROSS THE WORLD – ALIENS TO BLAME?"**

"_Bloody hell..."_ the Captain thought, glancing at the screen. _"Just what we need now."_

"Is he going to take part in that… personally?" the Master Sergeant asked, a little surprised.

"If my approach fails." Captain Devon said, looking rather uncomfortable as he recalled his conversation with Asaru.

* * *

A few hours prior…

"These creatures are… remarkably similar to humans." Professor Thorn noted. "They are perfectly capable of breathing the same atmosphere and their general physiology is the same. Other than the epidermal and ocular pigmentation, they could pass for humans."

"I'm sure the sci-fi fans out there will be delighted to hear that..." the Captain said, pondering the implications. "But what are the odds?"

"Their form also seems to be the result of natural evolution, as far as we can tell." Asaru added. "No cybernetics, no obvious signs of genetic tampering..."

"So…" the Captain noted, trying to keep a neutral expression. "Thanks to the Arc Throwers and the other gadgets, we've been able to capture a considerable number of them alive. I can… guess what comes next."

"For now, let's keep things civil." Asaru told him. "If they start being more trouble than they're worth, I'll step in."

"You mean you're not going for the textbook methods?" the Captain asked, sounding a little surprised.

"There won't be any need for them." Asaru said, his tone somehow giving the former secret services agent a chill down his spine. "I have my own ways. Highly effective ones at that. If I were to employ some of them, I would get the information without needing them to talk… and then they would die."

"Just what exactly did you do before setting up shop here?" the Captain asked.

Asaru's reply was short and direct.

"You don't want to know, Leonard. Trust me."

The use of his first name did not escape the Captain's notice, and he had the distinct feeling that pursuing this line of inquiry was a bad idea.

"I found other ways since then." Asaru said. "After all the things I did for the sake of humanity… some of which would give you nightmares… I'm trying to take a more nuanced approach."

Though the Commander usually seemed to avoid betraying any kind of emotion, there was something in his eyes that the Captain recognized from other men he had encountered, usually traumatized war veterans and other survivors of terrible ordeals where they had been forced to commit unconscionable acts. While both him and his father had played roles in the secret services, there were things he did not want to think about when it came to the full extent of methods some states and individuals were willing to use.

"You, my father and I..." the Captain mused. "I can't help wondering if there will ever be a day when people with our skills will no longer be needed."

"The two of you are still human at heart." Asaru retorted, shaking his head. "I, on the other hand, took a very long time to learn actual humanity. Such a fragile thing it is, so easily and thoughtlessly traded away by some."

* * *

Back to the present…

"The Commander is a man of secrets." Lieutenant Deikun remarked. "By the sound of it, he has his fair share of burdens to carry. I suppose that's to be expected given the responsibility on his shoulders."

"I consider myself fairly good at reading other people." the Captain pondered. "The Commander guards himself well, but I can tell he's been through some serious crap."

Then the news footage on the screen changed to a bearded man in what looked like a suit of armor out of a Renaissance Fair, complete with the red cross of the Knights Templar. Someone turned up the sound volume just in time for the angry rambling to echo across the bar.

"These accursed infidels have defiled the symbols of our faith, and if the governments of the world will not take action, then we will! DEUS VULT!"

"Oi!" a woman's voice with a distinctive accent shouted across the bar. "Shut that bloody shite off already! We dinnae wanna hear this load 'o bollocks!"

"_Oh for heaven's sake..."_ the Captain thought, rather annoyed, before taking a sip from the cup of black tea in front of him on the counter. _"This kind of crap brings all the loonies out of their hiding places."_

* * *

Meanwhile, at a lavishly decorated office somewhere in the western hemisphere…

"Are you serious?" the Director asked, her stony composure faltering for once as she sat on an expensive-looking black office chair behind a solid mahogany desk.

"Yes, Director." Hades confirmed with a nod. "They were discreet about it, far more than usual, but it was them."

"They threw all those forces at X-COM… just as a distraction?" she wondered, her brow furrowed as she tried to process what she had just heard. "And of all the things they could have done, all the places they could have struck… they went around plundering holy sites?"

"The Swiss Guard also had a run-in with them." Hades confirmed. "We still have no idea why they are doing this, but..."

"Yes, I doubt they came all the way here simply to grab some souvenirs..." the Director said. "But what interest would they have in religious paraphernalia? It does not make any sense."

"It would not make much sense as a psychological warfare tactic either." Hades pointed out. "If anything, it will only make people want to fight back harder."

"Either way, they do seem to have some sort of fixation with the X-1." Hades added. "Or rather, its pilots."

"Another reason to monitor their moves, then." the Director concluded. "And speaking of monitoring, what of our… unplanned new joiner?"

"He's just been… sitting around in his quarters… meditating or something." Hades said, looking rather perplexed. "Hasn't moved a muscle in hours."

"And how exactly did he break in?" the Director asked.

"I'm still trying to figure that out." Hades admitted, relaxing his guard and showing his state of mind more openly in private. "Nothing on the cameras, nothing on the sensors, no signs of forced entry. Whoever he is, we can assume that he's skilled… and dangerous."

"Which makes it all the more perplexing that you'd take him up on his offer." Hades added. "My failings aside, I think you are playing a very dangerous game."

"You are not prescient, Hades..." the Director retorted, still calm and composed. "Are you telling me that you could have predicted a random missile impact in the middle of an invasion from an enemy that can strike anywhere, anytime?"

Her lips twitched into the vague approximation of a smile.

"You really have changed." she remarked. "I like to think I know you reasonably well, but such an open display of concern..."

"I suppose I have changed..." Hades admitted. "Twenty or thirty years ago the whole notion of me being here doing something like this would have been ludicrous. But I still don't understand your reasoning."

"It's simple." the Director explained. "We are dealing with an unknown. Better that he stays where we can watch his actions and make use of whatever skills he can bring to the table than leave him running around unchecked."

"Besides..." she added, her composure once again cracking ever-so-slightly and some frustration seeping through. "I cannot abide a mystery. We already have enough unknown variables to deal with, between the aliens, X-COM, the Robot Masters and their allies… and… whatever that infernal machine from the island is."

"Well..." Hades said in a hushed, conspiratorial tone. "It's not like anyone else can hear us right now. Off the record… This whole shift in priorities. Does it have something to do with her? With them?"

Once again, her composure cracked, betraying a faint hint of sorrow.

"Finding out that you still had family out there was quite a blow." Hades recalled. "Especially after you had already clawed your way to the pinnacle of this organization."

"I wouldn't have made it this far without your help." she pointed out, before her amusement seeped into her tone and facial expression. "But what about you? That sister of yours seems to have the ability to rile you up like no one else."

"I still can't believe what I've become..." Hades muttered, looking and sounding rather annoyed. "I suppose she did do a number on me."

"_Not to mention my old rival..." _he thought.

"And what of your father?" the Director asked.

"Let's… not go there." Hades grumbled. "Either way, I'm not going to judge you. We've been through far too much for that. As long as you have need, I will continue to be your hand."

He then sighed.

"But now we have other complications. What are you going to do about our involuntary guests?"

"Pulling them out of the rubble was unexpected." the Director pondered. "Trying to keep them around indefinitely could be dangerous. The Doctor is mostly harmless, but her husband..."

"You're worried about a random air force Major?" Hades asked, quirking an eyebrow. "A desk jockey?"

"That's just it." she elaborated further. "The intelligence division uncovered some more details while you were out. He's not just some random desk jockey. He couldn't be, since he was slated for reassignment to X-COM. His official records are sealed, but the sheer number of commendations would be suspicious enough. And then..."

The Director sighed and rubbed her temples.

"I trust you remember our old friend Colonel Devon?"

"Hard to forget after that mess in Cairo. But what does he have to do with this? I thought he was retired and running that vehicle customization shop. What was it called? Maverick?"

"Not anymore." the Director said, shaking her head. "Guess which covert outfit got him out of retirement and recruited his son to boot..."

"Are you kidding?" Hades asked, genuinely surprised.

"Wait until you hear the rest." the Director said, before turning to the computer on her desk and opening a few pictures, laying them out on the screen and then turning said screen around on its base so Hades could see it. In them, squadrons of MEC units were prominently on display, led by a distinctive black machine.

"Gespenst Shildritter." she added with a pensive expression. "Phantom Sentinel. Whatever they decide to call it next. His son is the pilot."

Hades tensed up.

"And it gets better." the Director added, before reaching for a water bottle on her desk and taking a sip. "Major Thorn downstairs… just happens to be one of the Colonel's oldest friends."

"Shit..." Hades hissed.

"My curiosity got the better of me." the Director said with a heavy frown marring her soft face. "And now we have a ticking time bomb in our hands."

"Not to mention they've seen your face." Hades pointed out. "The minute you send them on their way, you know the Doctor is going to head straight to… her."

"I cannot allow her to discover my existence. Not yet." the Director said, rubbing her forehead as an incoming headache began to manifest. "I'm not ready to face them."

"Then what do you propose?" Hades asked.

"I may have a few ideas..." the Director said, resting both elbows on the desk and her chin on her hands.

* * *

Later that day, in Sanctum of the Founders…

The siblings stood near the towering construct, which still seemed to emanate a palpable sense of menace even inactive in the underground hangar.

"I really don't like this thing..." Amelia said, staring at the Apotheosis.

"I'm not exactly its biggest fan right now either." Atreus said.

Suddenly, they felt a presence in the chamber and a man's voice echoed behind them, soft but weary.

"This is a surprise."

The siblings turned around abruptly and saw a shimmering figure in the shape of a man, wearing a long hooded tunic and sandals. The only portions of his face that were visible were the strong jawline and the beard covering his chin. A strange white radiance subtly suffused his form, which did not appear entirely solid.

"I did not expect you to come visit outside of battle." the man said.

"Do we know you?" Amelia asked, eyeing the man suspiciously.

"I suppose not." the man said. "After all, it takes more than a man's voice for others to know him. It takes his actions as well… and I have been far too passive in all of this."

Eventually, they did recognize the voice. One of the presences in the construct, which they had taken to calling the Son.

"I didn't know you could do that." Atreus said.

"Merely an incorporeal manifestation." the Son said. "In ages past, I walked the Earth under different forms, but those days are long gone. I have no desire to stray far from here."

"You walked the Earth?" Amelia asked. "Just who or what are you?"

"I did not always slumber underneath the waves." the Son said. "I have had many names throughout the ages, but… you may call me… Yesh."

"Well then, Yesh..." Atreus said. "Care to enlighten us about this whole thing? Why am I forced to sense the lives of others flickering out inside that thing? Why is my mind randomly assaulted by voices? Why does the other one keep trying to goad me into losing control?"

"I fear that far too often my father is gripped by his hatred." Yesh said remorsefully.

"So he's actually your father?" Amelia asked.

"He is."

The golden core on the construct's chest lit up with the flaming golden radiance and from inside they heard the Father's voice.

"I am."

"Are we going to get any straight answers from either of you?" Amelia asked, rather annoyed.

"Perhaps..." the Father said. "But before you reach the end of this journey, you will wish you had remained ignorant."

"We'll be the judges of that." Atreus said. "I'm tired of you leading me around by the nose and trying to mess with my head."

"I told you before, Father..." Yesh said with a sigh as he turned to face the construct. "You cannot force an awakening. It always ends badly."

"Force an awakening?" Atreus asked, recalling the words from a previous battle. "Just what did you mean by that?"

"You are not yourselves." the Father said derisively. "You do not know yourselves. But we have deemed you worthy of potentially being the inheritors of our power."

"We were not consulted on this decision." Atreus countered. "I have only accepted this because I'm a position where I can make a difference out there."

"And what exactly do you mean?" Amelia asked. "Forcing an awakening?"

"Yes, I may have tried to open the boy's eyes." the Father said. "But both of you are blind to something right under your noses."

"Enough." Yesh intervened. "It is not our place."

"Then answer me this." Atreus said. "What exactly is the Apotheosis? It looks and feels like no machine we've ever seen, apart from the Leonarch."

"My greatest work." the Father said bitterly. "My greatest failure. My pride, my shame, our home and our prison. That is all you are learning from me this day."

And with that, the presence withdrew into the innards of the construct, leaving the siblings alone with Yesh.

"What did he mean?" Amelia asked.

"We were not always as you see us now." Yesh said, sounding incredibly tired. "In the days of the old island, we were… different. Whole. What happened in its final days changed us and for a time we wandered across the Earth, until the long sleep."

"Did you wake up because of the alien invasion then, or…?" Amelia asked.

"It was one of the factors, I suppose… but not the only reason." Yesh said. "I fear this is only the beginning of your tribulations."

"What do you mean? Amelia asked.

"It is not clear, not even to us." Yesh said. "We spoke of this at length with your family and the Professors. In the end..."

"In the end, the old goat decided we were not good enough for him." the Imperative's voice cut in.

Cadmus and Ciel strode into the chamber, the former looking on the brink of exhaustion. For his part, Yesh stood aside with a look of shame on his face and did not look directly at them.

"First of all, I'm sorry." Cadmus added. "I wanted to speak with both of you before this mess started so you would know what you were getting yourselves into."

"We never wanted to put you through this." Ciel said. "We tried to look for any alternative we could."

"I would have taken the burden by myself, but the old one wouldn't budge." Cadmus said. "Even Lan and Hub couldn't get him to cooperate."

"_Unnatural state of existence, my ass. I thought he meant what we did to ourselves, but..."_

"_Yes…"_ the second presence asserted._ "The old fart knew he couldn't manipulate us… and thought he'd have an easier time with them."_

Ciel blinked and cast a concerned glance at him.

"You're..." she muttered under her breath.

The Imperative nodded in response and straightened up.

"We found this several years ago, in the depths, below the seabed." Ciel explained. "Along with the broken ruins of a sprawling city and a tremendous reserve of orichalcum."

"So it's true..." Amelia said. "Grandpa was..."

"He was on the trail, yes..." Cadmus said. "I wish I'd had the time to ask more questions."

"More?" Atreus asked. "I thought he and Grandmother Brigitte had died when you were less than a year old."

"They did." Cadmus said. "A stupid pointless accident that left me half dead and in the hands of their AI caretaker. But they left notes, journals… and other things."

"_It's far too soon to tell them about the Phantom Host..."_ the Imperative thought with a shudder. _"To think that they all lingered there, standing guard until we came along..."_

"I thought that thing was old..." Atreus mused. "And definitely not one of your make. Some of the things I've seen it do so far were… frankly ridiculous."

"That blasted machine actively resisted any attempt at being studied or understood… but we could feel its power." Cadmus explained. "There's still much we don't understand about it, but we can say this much. It's dangerous, and you'll need to steel yourselves if you want to control it."

"Or you could just walk away." Ciel chimed in. "Forget about this thing, stick with the Hoplon and another machine or stop fighting entirely."

"No." Atreus said, shaking his head. "You entrusted us with this responsibility. If my friends are out there fighting, if the Pantheon are fighting, and if all the others defending Earth are fighting, so am I."

"The same goes for me." Amelia added. "That thing gives me the creeps, and I think it's time I went back to the Hoplon… but I'm not letting him or the others handle this alone."

"We thought you might say that." Ciel said with a nod, torn between pride and concern. "But promise you won't overdo it. Promise you'll stay safe."

The siblings stepped forward and embraced their mother.

"Of course." Amelia said.

"We can't have you all worried about us." Atreus added.

"_Maybe a peaceful life was never an option..."_ the Imperative thought with a heavy heart as he watched them. _"Forgive us… Gallant… Alouette… It seems that your second life is going to be even more hectic than the first."_

The apparition let out another sigh and made a strange gesture with his calloused right hand.

"I will not ask that you forgive us, for I have no right to ask for that just yet." he said remorsefully. "But I do hope that one day you will understand."

With that, he turned away.

"You finally show up to talk, and you're already leaving?" Amelia asked.

"I am weary." Yesh said. "More than you can imagine. We will speak again later."

And with that, the apparition dissolved into the air, leaving shimmering motes of light behind for a fleeting moment.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Hikari Laboratory…

"I have questions." Raito said as he stood in Lan's office, looking at his father eye to eye.

"Of course you do." Lan said with a smile. "My head would be spinning right now if I was in your position."

"OK then." Raito said, crossing his arms. "Where do I even start? Maybe the huge list of new items in the X-1's weapon database. Where did all of that come from? How do some of those weapons even work? They look and sound like something from those old Super Robot shows."

"I imagine you were pretty surprised to see it shoot a shockwave and a concentrated tornado like that." Lan said with a grin. "The truth is, there are some details about the black boxes in the Variable Weapons System that you won't find on the manual."

"Why's that?"

"The nanomachines came from Neo Atlantis." Lan explained. "The same kind that were used in the second generation Copy Bots back in the day. The same kind that make up part of your uncle and cousins' synthetic bodies and are used in countless medical procedures these days. But there's more than that. Someone else who gave us a hand."

The door to the office opened and a man Raito was not familiar with stepped inside, clad in a white turtleneck sweater with a pair of blue jeans and matching sneakers. Raito couldn't quite tell how old he was, but there was something striking about his deep blue eyes, and the soft face bore a certain resemblance to his father and uncle.

"And that's where I come in." the man said. "I've been meaning to meet you for a long time, Patch."

"Son..." Lan said. "I'd like you to meet our cousin, Dr. Xavier Light."

"Dr. Light was my father." the man said. "Just… call me X."

"X… huh?" Raito muttered, leering at him. "As in X-1?"

"I didn't pick the name." the man said, looking a little embarrassed. "That was all on your dad."

"I'm guessing there's a story behind that..." Raito deduced, glancing at his father.

"_Clever boy." _Lan thought. _"Definitely takes after his mother."_

"It's a long story." the man said. "But for now, I'm here to help with what I can."

"Dr. X sounds like some kind of Saturday morning cartoon villain name." Raito said with a hint of youthful irreverence. "So I hope X will do."

"You really are your father's son." the man said with a soft laugh.

"So… cousin, huh?" Raito remarked. "How come I've never heard of you before?"

"I… I've been living far away for a long time." the man said. "When things around here started going crazy again, your father reached out to us for advice."

"_Stick to the story..." _the man thought nervously. _"I was never good at lying, so I'll have to stick to the technically true."_

"He'll be more than happy to answer more questions about the X-1's special abilities..." Lan said. "And probably teach you a couple of tricks."

"I definitely need to up my game." Raito said excitedly. "But before I go..."

Then he turned to Lan.

"Was that really Full Synchro back there?"

"Definitely." Lan said with a smile. "You two really take after us."

"But how?" Raito asked. "We've done some Net Battling ourselves, but it took you two several years to even trigger it the first time."

"Did you think you had to be specifically in the Cyberworld to use it?" Lan asked, stepping closer and pointing his finger at the boy's chest. "No. What you need is right here. It's all about the bond and having something to protect… or someone."

"Power is the answer to a need." the bespectacled man said with a nod. "Never an end in itself. Don't let the X-1's arsenal or its potential distract you from what really matters."

"One more question for now then..." Raito said. "The Leonarch. That weapon it used. Why was its light just like ours?"

"As I thought." the man said. "You and Maito are sensitive to such things too. We'll explain everything later, but for now..."

"Full Synchro is just one way this power manifests." Lan said. "One aspect. There's more still to come."

"As time goes by..." the man said. "You'll be facing some changes. Amazing things are coming, as long as you stay true to yourselves."

"_It wouldn't make much sense to you if we tried to explain __right now__.__"_ Lan thought, once again feeling his heart swell with pride._ "__Not until you've experienced some more of it it. But __one day you'll understand… Our little Warriors of Light." _

"_I still don't understand what's going on here..." _Raito thought. _"But it's like I'm living every boy's dream of being a hero. I won't let you down… Dad… Mom… Uncle Hub… Ma-"_

He stopped himself in time to avoid a bout of embarrassment and took a deep breath before turning to the bespectacled man.

"Well then…" Raito said with a grin. "Lead on."

The man nodded and stepped outside the office, followed by the excited boy. Once they were out of earshot, Lan closed the door and locked it. He then walked up to his desk, sat on his chair and activated a program provided by Gilliam before departing the Black Forest base. Soon enough, the distinctive purple-haired visage appeared on the screen.

"How are things on your end, Major?"

"Our collaboration is already bearing fruit." Gilliam said. "The Commander had all sorts of ideas he wanted to put into practice… both from previous campaigns of his Long War and new ones he picked up here. The orichalcum cleared a bottleneck… but it also provided some peace of mind."

"So you know about that Long War thing." Lan said, seeing his suspicions partially confirmed. "Does that mean you're from another Earth too?"

"Perhaps..." Gilliam said with a coy smile. "But I'm sure you have other things to discuss right now."

"Right." Lan said with a nod. "Like those Skyrangers Asaru mentioned. Anything sturdy and fast enough to carry an entire robot squad across the world by air is definitely worth our attention. I just wonder if they'll fit in the Morskoy Lev."

"You mean that submarine carrier of yours?" Gilliam asked. "Possibly. We're also making some arrangements to have a team of our engineers stationed close enough to keep the Skyrangers in working condition… and help with other things as needed."

"I must ask though." Gilliam added. "Just how did you get that flight unit for the X-1 to actually function? The outer design seems archaic at first glance, but that kind of performance is impressive."

"Admittedly, I'm not an aerospace or robotics engineer by trade." Lan said. "The research notes Dr. Wily left me were a big help and some friends in Neo Atlantis and other places helped with other things. The Rush Jet, however, was largely thanks to my assistants."

"Your assistants?" Gilliam asked.

"Two bright young ladies, Ms. Bonne and Ms. Yumi." Lan clarified. "One came highly recommended from a scholarship program. She would probably have ended up in SciLab if not for the present circumstances. As for Ms. Yumi… it's a bit more complicated."

"What do you mean?"

"We don't really know that much about her, to be honest." Lan explained. "My brother and I found her a year ago, passed out in a field where we were doing some testing. She seemed to be suffering from memory loss and didn't have any documents. We couldn't find any family or even any record of her existing."

Gilliam's eyes widened.

"_Yumi..."_ he thought. _"And amnesiac, but still able to put together a Rush Jet… or rather… a Jet Scrander."_

"What happened after that?" Gilliam asked.

"She didn't have anywhere else to go, and after discussing the situation with my wife and sister-in-law, we decided we couldn't just leave her by herself." Lan explained. "We helped her get settled in and over time she revealed a surprising talent for robotics and aeronautics."

"_It can't be..."_ Gilliam thought incredulously. _"O__ne__ year… Even accounting for the temporal drift…"_

"Major?" Lan asked with a frown, noticing the change in his expression.

"I would like to meet your assistants, Dr. Hikari." Gilliam finally said. "If they were able to build something like that, then they are definitely worth my professional attention."

"Sometimes you don't really look like an engineer." Lan remarked. "Just what were you doing before signing up with X-COM, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well… I had quite a long and eventful history, both in the military and civilian sectors." the Major explained. "I served in a military unit for a brief period and then I was scouted for an anti-terrorist organization."

"Anyone I've ever heard of?"

"Probably not. It was called ZEUS."

"Can't say it rings any bells." Lan said, shaking his head. "Anyway, if you want to meet them, just drop by the lab."

"I think I might. I have some other business in the Far East area, so I may drop by for a visit if time allows."

"Let us know when you get here then." Lan said. "My brother's cooking is to die for."

"I will keep that in mind." Gilliam said with a nod. "But for now I must go. We will speak again soon."

As the call ended, Gilliam paused for a moment. He glanced around… and was struck by an overwhelming headache.

"_No..."_ he thought in horror as he recognized the familiar vertigo. _"Maybe I've spent too much time around Asaru and his psionics… My barriers are..."_

He abruptly stood up from his chair and stood there for another moment before his eyes widened.

"_No..."_

As if the devil were on his heels, he ran out of the room and through the corridors until he reached his personal hangar.

"Asaru." he said as he reached for his earpiece. "I need to go outside. There's something that needs my attention."

"Understood." Asaru replied. "But is everything all right?"

"I'm not sure. For now, please make sure the plans regarding Kiryu-Kai stay on schedule. We'll talk later."

With that, he ended the transmission and continued on his way until he was standing in front of the Gespenst RV.

"Call! Gespenst!" he cried out.

As the voice recognition system was triggered, the machine came to life, its crimson visor lighting up. It took a step forward and then got down on one knee and extended its hand downward. Without waiting for it to come to a complete halt, Gilliam jumped on it.

The Major hastily climbed inside the cockpit and strapped himself in, then activated the launch platform. The Gespenst RV shot into the sky and darted eastward as quickly as its thrusters would carry it.

"ZEUS..." Gilliam thought out loud. "How long has it been since I last uttered the name?"

As he continued on his path, his thoughts began to drift, into old memories buried deep in his mind...

* * *

Another time, another place…

"Can you believe it?" a young man's voice asked excitedly.

"Not even a year since they found him and Gilliam is already making a name for himself!" a young woman added.

"I… I'm going to miss you guys…" a younger Gilliam's voice said. "And Alpha Team. I feel kind of bad leaving you behind."

"Don't be silly." the young woman's voice said. "One of our own, getting scouted for ZEUS? We're happy for you."

"Big names lined up for sure." the young man's voice said. "Black, Ultraseven, the White Meteor… and our own Gilliam. Make us all proud, you hear?"

* * *

Pulled back to the present, Gilliam sighed.

"_Would you still be so proud if you knew some of the things I've done since?"_

* * *

About three hours later…

Flying low to evade detection, a quartet of four of the aliens' robots emerged from the waters not far from Marine Harbor, startling the onlookers.

Ignoring everything in their path, they headed out in the direction of the Hikari Laboratory, armed to the teeth with not only the usual assault rifles but also rocket launchers and an almost absurd amount of what looked like grenades.

"Level the place!" the leader commanded. "With those damned machines away, we may not get another chance."

"Shouldn't we be going after the machines instead?" another of the alien pilots replied.

"That island is a damned fortress and that white machine is back home." the leader growled. "We don't have the firepower for a full assault on it yet. But they'll get theirs soon enough. Just wait until the main fleet arrives..."

On the roof of the laboratory, a man stood, clad in a long black trench coat with matching trousers, boots and gloves, resting his hands on the safety railing. His red hair was spiky and unruly and his face, especially the reddish brown eyes, bore a boyish look, full of the promise of mischief.

He looked into the distance and, spotting the four menacing forms edging closer to the building, pressed two fingers to his right ear.

"Sorry to interrupt buddy, but you're about to have some unwanted guests. You want me to deal with them?"

"No need." came the reply. "I'll deal with them myself."

In one of the basement hangars, the bespectacled professor suddenly froze in place, interrupting the conversation.

"Patch." he said with a serious expression. "How many people are working in the lab right now?"

"Huh?" Raito replied, surprised by the sudden shift. "I'm not sure. Why do you ask?"

"Go to your father. Tell him to get everyone inside and lock the place down when I give the signal."

"What? What's going on?"

"I'm going to need you to trust me on this." the man said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Raito blinked, still not sure what was going on.

"OK..." he hesitantly said, unnerved by the look in the man's eyes.

With that, the boy broke into a sprint, out the hangar door and up the nearest staircase.

A couple of minutes later, he burst through the door to Lan's office.

"Dad!" he called out. "X said to-"

"I know." Lan said as he stood in front of a console. "I thought Chaud was being a little paranoid, but he was right on the money."

"Huh?"

"It's just like in those old shows." Lan said with a sigh, pointing at one of the monitors where some sort of radar readouts were on display. "Sooner or later, the home base always gets attacked."

"They couldn't have picked a worse time..." Raito grumbled, trying to stay calm. "With all our machines out..."

"I'm guessing X told you to get the place on lockdown?" Lan asked.

"Y-Yeah..."

Despite the circumstances, much to his surprise, Raito saw that his father was smiling.

"Let's do as he says then." Lan said. "Get everyone together."

"_Why is he so calm at a time like this?"_ Raito thought in confusion. _"Is there something he's not telling me?"_

* * *

Moments later, in a smaller workshop, Tron and Ms. Yumi were busy at work… or rather, the latter was standing, calm and composed as she listened to Lan's instructions through the laboratory's PA system, while the former was running back and forth in a panic.

"What are we going to do?!" Tron hissed as she tried to control her nerves. "Wait… The prototype! That's it!"

"You know very well that thing isn't even able to move yet." Ms. Yumi pointed out.

"I guess I'll just have to get my pet project out there then..." Tron concluded, reaching for a wrench on a nearby table.

She then turned to face a strange human-sized robot, clearly unfinished.

Its body was strangely shaped and proportioned, almost like an oversized version of an old LEGO figurine, with its skin comprised of yellow metal, a large barrel-shaped head with a protuberance at the top, big round eyes and a pair of stubby hands that looked more like wrench tips or thick pincers with smoothed ends.

"Give me a hand here Saya!" Tron called out.

Her colleague did not reply.

Tron then looked over her shoulder.

"Saya? Where did you go?"

The door behind her was wide open.

* * *

Ms. Yumi ran out of the chamber and into the nearest storeroom… only to find Xavier inside.

"Dr. Light?" she asked with a confused look on her face. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh… sorry..." he replied with a sheepish smile. "I was looking for the bathroom."

"_At a time like this?!"_ she thought, quirking an eyebrow.

"The door on the other side." she said, pointing behind her back and trying not to roll her eyes at him. "Now if you'll excuse me..."

With that, she ran back out and into the nearest women's bathroom.

After closing the door behind her, she glanced around to make sure that there was nobody else in the individual stalls. Satisfied that the chamber seemed empty, she then stepped into one of the stalls and locked the door.

"Mazin Flash!" she cried out. A moment later, the stall was engulfed in a blinding golden light.

* * *

Meanwhile, still inside the storeroom, Xavier closed the door again. He glanced around, then, once he was sure there was no one else in the vicinity, raised his right fist and cried out.

"Armor On!"

A white light engulfed him as he jumped out the nearby window.

* * *

As the building came into view, the four alien pilots were confronted by a strange sight.

Standing on the paved path leading to the laboratory stood a man, clad in a strange suit of blue armor with a futuristic design, bulky gauntlets and boots and a matching helmet with a large red gem of some sort decorating the forehead.

"What is that supposed to-" the leader muttered, before his face twisted into a snarl and his voice blared to the outside. "Machine Soul!"

"Patch was right." the man retorted, sounding rather unimpressed as he stood his ground unflinching with his arms crossed. "You really do have a one track mind. I'm going to give you one chance to leave peacefully now. If you don't, then-"

The four alien pilots raised their rifles and sprayed their energy projectiles in the man's direction, but instead of fleeing, he dashed in their direction, avoiding the incoming fire with inhuman speed.

"Suit yourselves." the man said, as if already expecting this reply.

"Oh, you're in for it now!" the man in the trench coat said to himself with an excited grin as he watched the scene unfold from the rooftop.

"Behold!" he suddenly announced, pointing straight up as his voice boomed from the rooftop as if coming out of a loudspeaker. "The invincible under the heavens! Super Robot X!"

"Not now Axl..." the blue armored warrior grumbled under his breath without breaking stride.

"C'mon!" the man in the trench coat shouted, waving his fist. "You've got this buddy!"

Then he heard footsteps on the rooftop and looked over his shoulder. As he spotted the newcomer, he grinned again.

"Fancy meeting you here, Mr. Masked President."

"You've been spending too much time with Aschen." Gilliam retorted, rolling his eyes. "I can't say I'm exactly surprised to see you here though. Looks like I was worried over nothing."

As the scene continued to unfold below, the man's right arm transformed into a cannon of some sort, and fired a burst of three yellow energy projectiles at them in turn.

"_That looks like..." _one of the aliens thought, remembering the footage of the X-1 that had been shown during the mission briefings.

The man's body began glowing blue and letting out a rising hum. Crossing the rest of the distance with a dash, he raised his cannon again and fired a much larger blue energy blast, which tore a hole through the lead unit's right leg. While it was not enough to stop it completely, it visibly threw the machine off balance.

"Accursed machine!" the alien snarled. "I'll-"

Ignoring the alien's posturing, the man reached for his waist and produced a polished metal cylinder. He pushed a button on its side and a blue energy blade ignited with a snap-hiss sound. Without skipping a beat, he threw it. The blade spun through the air and sliced the lead unit's rifle in two before obediently returning to its wielder's grasp.

"WHAT?!" the alien shouted incredulously.

The armored man was not done, however. Dodging more bursts of incoming fire, he circled around another of the alien machines and, with one swift motion, severed its right foot with a swing of the blade, before peppering its torso with a burst of his own. His body began to glow and hum once again, building up energy...

Then, a woman's voice suddenly shouted out of nowhere.

"PHOTON BEAM!"

A pair of golden energy beams of some sort burst forth from the direction of the laboratory, striking the alien leader's cockpit.

"What the..." the armored man muttered, quickly glancing over his shoulder.

Coming from the direction of the laboratory, he spotted a clearly feminine figure clad in a strange and rather flattering suit of metallic black armor with a decidedly robotic look. Its chest was decorated with a pair of red ornaments, in a shape reminiscent of stylized bull's horns pointing upwards. The helmet was easily the most elaborate part of the outfit, with a seemingly delicate white faceplate with glowing golden eyepieces and a large round blue gem over the forehead region. For some unfathomable reason, someone had thought it a good idea to outfit the armor's boots with prominent heels, which seemed rather impractical.

"What the hell is that?" he muttered incredulously. "And where have I seen this before?"

"Dr. Light, I presume?" the woman asked with a dose of irony.

"And you are…?" he asked, taken aback.

One of the aliens tried to seize the distraction to stomp on him, but he simply rolled out of the way and unleashed a charged shot, which struck it right in the middle of the faceplate, sending it stumbling back.

"Do you think this is the best time for introductions?" the woman scolded.

"I suppose not." he conceded, before turning his attention to the remaining alien machines. He rushed to the middle of their formation, then jumped straight up, far higher than humanly possible.

"TRIAD THUNDER!" he cried out, as a burst of electricity erupted around him in a triangular pattern and then scattered around, momentarily immobilizing them.

Then, still in mid-air, he cupped his hands together with his fingers facing outward and turned his palms towards the alien machine directly in front of him.

"HADOUKEN!"

The flaming burst of blue energy from his hands shot forward and tore through the alien robot's midsection, reducing its reactor to slag.

"Two down, two to go..." he muttered to himself. "Still got it."

"W-What..." one of the aliens hissed, staring at the strange pair and then at the leader's immobilized machine. "How can this be?!"

As the man finished his descent, landing into a crouching position, the woman crossed the rest of the distance. The alien's confusion turned into fear as the horn-shaped ornaments on her chest lit up, glowing red as if superheated.

"BREAST FIRE!" the woman cried out, spreading her arms apart as a searing crimson burst of energy surged out towards the alien machine.

The alien pilot barely had enough time to let out an expletive in his native language, before his machine's legs melted into slag, sending the upper section into a rather undignified tumble onto the cobbled pavement.

The last pilot still able to do anything froze in place, staring at the two with his rifle pointed forward.

"H-How…" he muttered incredulously.

The black form of the Gespenst RV swooped in from above, picking off the last of the alien machines with a single shot from the Mega Buster Cannon before gracefully landing not far from them.

"Well..." Gilliam said as he emerged from the cockpit. "Looking back, I really should have expected to find you here, X."

"_I knew it..."_ the armored woman thought. _"It was him..."_

X looked at him and his eyes widened as he recognized the man.

"Gilliam Yeager… What are you doing here? I heard you were with X-COM now, but..."

"Let's just say I had a hunch." Gilliam said with an enigmatic smile. "How is Zero doing?"

"Same as always." X said with a smile. "Probably only a matter of time until he steps over too."

"Wait a minute..." the armored woman said, as her gaze darted between the professor and Gilliam. "What the hell is going on here, Dr. Light? How do you know him?"

"Dr. Light was my father." the warrior in blue said. "I am simply X."

"And you..." the Major added, staring at the woman. "I should have expected Minerva to take precautions like these, but still..."

"There's definitely something about that outfit's design that feels familiar." X added.

"Yes..." the Major said with a nod. "There's no doubt about it. You are a very long way from home, Lisa. Do you have any idea how many people are looking for you?"

"Look..." the armored woman said, sounding rather nervous. "Can we please not do this here? Maybe in the back of the building?"

"Fair enough." Gilliam said. "Lead on."

As they made their way around the laboratory building and into a more secluded section in the back, X glanced at her and then at the Major.

"Lisa?" X asked, his jaw dropping slightly as recognition dawned on him. "Kabuto?"

"The very same." the Major confirmed with a nod. "I'm sure of it. Her parents have been beside themselves with worry. Several people across a dozen different universes are already on the lookout for any sign of her. I was even thinking about asking Cobray for help."

Moments later, they arrived at a section next to the kitchen area, mostly set up for deliveries and trash sorting. The armored woman let out a sigh and leaned against a wall.

"I've heard about you, Gilliam Yeager." she said, before the suit disappeared in a flash, revealing Ms. Yumi's face underneath. "But I can't go back right now. Please understand."

"I guess that explains all the Mazinger abilities in the Robot Masters..." X realized. "I should have known it wasn't just those two being fanboys. But do they have any idea who you are?"

"No..." she said, shaking her head. "And I'd rather keep it that way for now. They treat me like a normal person, like a friend. I don't know how they would react if they found out that I'm not from around here… or who my parents are."

"I take it the whole amnesia story was just a ruse then." Gilliam remarked.

"I… didn't know where I was or who I could trust around here." she admitted, looking rather guilty. "They've been so incredibly kind to me, I don't know what to do about it other than continuing to help them."

"That sounds like them, all right." X said with a smile. "But if you told them, I'm sure they'd understand."

"Probably..." she said. "But it still might make things awkward, seeing how I… lied to them. I've been trying to figure out what to do about it, but this whole invasion thing takes priority."

"Of all the places you could have ended up..." Gilliam said.

"I suppose I could have picked a better alias." Ms. Yumi admitted. "Especially considering all the things I've seen since my arrival… I still can't believe the people of this Earth consider all of it fiction."

"I had quite the surprise myself when I first arrived." Gilliam confessed.

"Same here." X added with a nod. "Just in reverse, when I started exploring the X-Zone."

"They have countless animated shows of it..." Ms. Yumi said, her composure gradually cracking as she noticeably struggled not to laugh. "Feature length films… action figures! I'll have to take some with me when it's time to head home. I can't wait to see the look on Mom and Dad's faces."

"Besides..." she added with a giggle. "It's not every day I get to meet such a colorful bunch. I'm sure if you give them enough time, they might actually put together a Z of their own."

"One man's fiction is another man's reality..." X mused with a smile. "Or their aspiration. But you can be sure they'd accept you just like everyone else. After all, I've been visiting them regularly for twenty years. I know them better than most."

"They really are something..." she said with a smile. "And that's why I want to keep helping them protect this Earth."

"They really are something." X echoed with a nod. "Fine, I won't blow your cover. I just hope you can eventually open up to them. How did you end up here anyway?"

"An accident." she said, looking rather embarrassed. "One of the lab experiments did not go as expected. I found myself stranded here with no way to get back or even contact them."

"At the very least, we should let your family know that you're safe." Gilliam said. "It'll take some time but I'll get the message across. Knowing your parents, they won't begrudge you for wanting to help out here."

"I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to come lend a hand themselves." Ms. Yumi said with a smile. "Just… please give me some advance warning if they do. I'm not sure how exactly I'm going to break all of this to the others when the time comes… especially the Guts Brothers."

"Well, with you here, I'm doubly sure they're in good hands." X said with a smile. "But… wow..."

"What?" Ms. Yumi asked.

"The last time I saw you, you were… this big." X said, holding his hands apart a few dozen centimeters for emphasis. "Dimensional mechanics really are a crapshoot."

"Wait..." Ms. Yumi stuttered. "You know me? You know..."

"Yes, I've met your parents a few times in the past." X confirmed with a nod. "It's a bit difficult to keep track of the flow of time between universes, so I'm not sure how long it's been for them. No wonder I didn't recognize you at first."

"I suppose at least she ended up in a safe place." Gilliam noted, glancing at X.

"What exactly are you doing around here anyway?" X asked. "I thought you were looking for a way back to Elpis."

"I was." Gilliam said. "I just happened to run into Lisa's parents along the way. Seeing how I have the means to cross dimensional boundaries, I offered to keep an eye out. A year ago, I ended up here and soon crossed paths with Asaru - the man you may know as the Commander of X-COM."

"So you ended up here around the same time I arrived?" Ms. Yumi realized. "Dimensional mechanics really are a crapshoot."

"Well, I made a controlled jump." Gilliam pointed out. "You got tossed around. Quite frankly, you're lucky to still be in one piece."

"I guess it's true." Ms. Yumi said with a shrug. "Photon Energy really has a thing for my family. Makes you wonder if it has a will of its own like Getter Rays."

"Or the Force." X mused. "We did find a retired Jedi living in hiding around here twenty years ago. I wonder what happened to him."

"What IS it with this Earth?" Ms. Yumi wondered, looking rather dumbfounded at his words.

"Beats me." X said. "But since it's so close to ours, I wonder long it'll be until the madness starts spilling over. Anyway, that experiment you mentioned?"

"Infinity may be long gone, but the prospect of infinite parallel universes and their limitless potential lit a fire in my parents." Ms. Yumi explained. "Better to learn how to access them in a controlled and reliable way than getting thrown around by random accident."

"You know there are others who already possess that technology." Gilliam pointed out. "You could have asked any of them."

"Well, you know them." Ms. Yumi said with a shrug. "If there's something to be done, they'd rather do it themselves. I guess we were all in a bit over our heads this time."

"They would probably never admit it..." Gilliam mused. "But such a long time of peace likely left them bored out of their wits. I wouldn't be surprised if they just wanted another adventure."

"We should probably head back inside." X said. "Let them know the situation is under control."

"I'll get the local X-COM branch to pick up the surviving aliens and their hardware." Gilliam said. "We don't want alien technology falling into the wrong hands."

The Major turned to leave and then smirked and glanced over his shoulder.

"By the way…" he added. "Guess who apparently have alternate selves on this Earth."

"Who?" Ms. Yumi asked.

"Amuro Ray, Casval Deikun and Lalah Sune." the Major said.

"Oh crap..." Ms. Yumi hissed. "Are you serious?"

"It gets better." Gilliam said. "Apparently those three are thick as thieves. Best friends, even… and they ended up together in X-COM."

"Are you pulling my leg right now?" Ms. Yumi asked incredulously.

"I wish." Gilliam said with a sigh. "I'll definitely have to keep an eye on them to make sure they don't get off track. I don't want to judge who they are here and now based on what I've seen elsewhere, but I'd be a fool to ignore people with their talents."

"Just… don't mention this to Axl." X said. "You know how excitable he gets about that sort of thing."

"But we definitely need to keep an eye on those three…" Ms. Yumi said with a nod. "So they don't end up causing even more chaos."

"Considering that at least some of the Peregrine Falcons also exist here..." Gilliam said, rolling his eyes as he glanced at X. "I trust you remember Marco Rossi, Fio Germi and the others?"

"They're here too?" X asked. "Or rather, they exist here in some capacity?"

"It definitely looks like it." Gilliam confirmed with a nod. "And this version of Nadia Cassel is as crazy about grenades as the one you know."

"At least they're consistent, I suppose..." X grumbled, placing a hand over his forehead.

"Well..." Gilliam added in lieu of farewell. "We'll be in touch later."

"I have to ask though..." X said a moment later, glancing at Ms. Yumi. "What's with the suit?"

"It was Aunt Minerva's idea." she grumbled, her face turning a shade of crimson. "I'll admit it's pretty handy, but she definitely has weird tastes."

"_If she thinks that's weird, then I'd better not mention Zero's little stunt in the Cyberworld twenty years ago..."_ X thought with a smirk. _"A Mazinger Zero disguise? Seriously?"_

* * *

The next morning...

"You're looking a bit under the weather..." Ciel remarked, watching Lan's face on the screen, with dark circles around his eyes and a glazed look as he sat in his home's kitchen. "Then again, after what happened yesterday..."

"Oh, don't mind me..." Lan said, his speech slightly slurred. "I just haven't had my coffee yet."

"Just how much of the stuff have you been drinking?" Cadmus asked with a frown.

"I don't know..." Lan said. "Five or six mugs a day maybe?"

"Are you crazy?!" Cadmus asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Probably." Lan retorted rather deadpan. "I mean, those nanites from back in the day definitely help me last longer, but sometimes I still need a little boost."

"You're doing it wrong." Cadmus said.

"Huh?"

"The nanites in your system may have continued to grow and change in different ways from mine, but I think you may be getting them confused by guzzling down so much coffee." Cadmus explained. "Yes, sometimes I pulled twenty-four hour shifts before Mother threatened to put a time lock in the basement elevator, but..."

"What? How?" Lan muttered incredulously.

"Well, if you recall, you activated the nanites when you were in a state of heightened stress, and with a broken arm to boot." Cadmus pointed out. "We both got the same package, with the same basic functions. Health monitoring and recovery, strength boost and the microscopic protective layers on the bones and skin. It's all about the adaptive coding after that. But mine did something else unexpected."

"They put together a secondary distributed cortex." Ciel explained further. "Spread across the body. His system needs more energy, but it lets him keep his mind running longer and lets it store and process more information on the fly."

"They just keep evolving beyond their original parameters." Cadmus noted, still perplexed after so many years. "What you need to remember here though is that they optimize your metabolism. Whether you're running around kicking killer robots in the face or just in the lab doing your thing. I know you've liked your coffee since you were a teenager, but if you drink too much the nanites may overcompensate."

"So I just need to cut back? I guess it's worth a shot..." Lan pondered before the boyish mischievous grin they knew so well crept back on his face. "Especially if it'll keep Iris from destroying my coffee maker."

* * *

A few hours later…

"Levi." Cadmus said with a smile.

"You called?" the Guardian known to most as Agent Fairy asked, once again having replaced her battle suit with a navy blue business dress.

"I have a special task for you." he said as he picked up a metal briefcase from the floor next to his chair and handed it to her.

"What do you need?"

"I need you to take the Great Leviathan and deliver this to the twins, in person."

"Wouldn't Sage be more suitable for this task?" she pointed out. "His machine can fly much faster than mine."

"Given the importance of this task, I would like both of you to go. Insurance, you might call it. Of course if more trouble rears its head while you're there I'll be counting on you to assist the Robot Masters as you see fit."

"Won't sending out two of the Four Guardians leave our forces here weakened?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

The fact that the four of them felt comfortable enough to speak their minds, especially when they did not understand or agree with something, was a trait both him and Ciel appreciated. The Guardians were no sycophants, and they both loved them for that.

"It'll be fine." he said with a smile. "Now that we have both Atreus and Amelia back home and the additional defenses have been finished, we should have some time to clear our heads. The change of airs will probably be good for you too."

Despite their synthetic nature, Cadmus knew the Guardians could be as prone to mental fatigue as anyone else, and had never felt comfortable with their cavalier attitude towards personal injury in the earlier times after their first meeting.

"I suppose that's true." she conceded. "And we have plenty of other talented people to pick up the slack. Colbor can still be a bit of a goof at times but he's competent and gets the job done. Milan has proven capable too."

She then rolled her eyes.

"I wish the same could be said for Faucon and Craft. Those two are far too reckless."

"Give them some more time." Cadmus said with a knowing smile. "For now, I doubt they'll be pulling more stunts unless they want their piloting privileges revoked."

"Right." Fairy said. "I'll be keeping an eye on them. Since we've got everything under control, I hope you can dial it down a bit. Nanites or not, you're still human and your family needs you."

Just like the Guardians, especially Fairy, kept an eye on things to keep the Imperative and the Affirmative from slipping into workaholism, so did their charges reciprocate, considering them part of the family and looking out for their well being. It was probably inevitable then that the Guardians had also quickly become fond of the children, treating them like a nephew and niece.

"All that I do, I do for their sake." Cadmus said. "But you're right. Now that the flight units are installed and the Robot Masters' machines being loaded again, I can and should slow down a bit."

"That goes double for you." she added, tapping his temple with her index finger. "Mr. Backseat Driver."

In response, his eyes lit up with the green glow.

"I'm supposed to be the reasonable of the two, remember?" the other voice answered through his mouth.

"If you say so..." she retorted, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not the one who made a Synchro attempt in those conditions, without experience or training." the other voice point out. "But I'd be lying if I said that I gained nothing from this situation."

"I'd say that maybe you've made yourself a little too comfortable in there." Fairy said. "But it's none of my business unless you start developing side effects."

"We don't speak of the incident very often nowadays..." the Imperative's second voice said. "But we do appreciate the support you've given us all these years."

"Right." he added with his normal voice. "Ciel, Mother, you and your brothers… You've been sources of strength and support all these years. We know we can be a handful sometimes."

"That's an understatement." Fairy said. "But the four of us are far more than we once were, in no small part thanks to you. I wanted to feel the world, to be part of it, to experience it in a way closer to humanity. I definitely got my wish."

"Why do you think I eventually stopped trying to get out of here and move into a new body?" the Imperative's second voice asked.

"In your case, there definitely some other reasons..." Fairy added with a knowing smirk. "I should be glad Gallant and Alouette didn't end up crammed in there too."

"That would definitely have made it a bit crowded in here..." the second voice remarked. "Not to mention awkward."

"They're fine the way they are now." Cadmus said. "Well, not completely, but we'll just have to do something about that. I had hoped that they'd be able to move on with a clean slate and not deal with the trauma of remembering. This damn invasion put an end to that notion… and I'm still convinced those two inside the machine are trying to mess with their heads."

"I can have that thing dumped in the ocean within the hour, you know." Fairy remarked with a smirk.

"As much as the thought amuses me, we need a more permanent solution." Cadmus mused.

"Well, if those two Atlantean ghosts or AIs or whatever the hell they are get them hurt..." Fairy said, cracking her knuckles. "I'll end them myself."

"Take a number and get in line then." the Imperative's second voice said. "They're starting to piss off a lot of us."

"Well then..." Fairy said, taking the briefcase. "We'd better get going before something else happens."

"Let us know once you arrive." Cadmus said. "Hopefully that'll be the last of the attempts on the lab, but I hear X-COM are planning to send in a small security contingent. I don't think Yai is going to stand for it, but we'll see."

* * *

Two hours later, over the ocean…

"It's been a long time since we've been to those shores..." Sage remarked as he flew the Great Harpuia at low altitude, skirting the waves at a leisurely pace.

"I wonder if the old house is still in one piece." Fairy remarked from the cockpit of her own machine as it swam through the ocean, holding a set of keys in her hand. "I miss that place."

"Our time there definitely changed our lives." Sage reminisced.

* * *

A few more hours later…

"It does feel like it's been an eternity..." Sage said as he stood in the Hikari household's dining room, with Fairy by his side. Just like Fairy, Sage too had changed into more inconspicuous clothes, in his case a white shirt with green trousers and brown boots.

Sitting at the large table with the Hikari twins were the nearly identical cousins, along with their mothers and the rest of their siblings.

Mayl was sitting between two – a pink-haired girl, around four or five years old, with Lan's brown eyes and clad in a pink dress and a boy, one or two years older, with the same eyes and brown hair in a bow cut, wearing a white shirt and blue shorts below the knee. The Guardians recognized them as Rini and Hikaru.

At the other side of the table, Roll was holding a small girl on her lap. She seemed to be around four or five years old and looked almost like a miniature version of Roll, even wearing a pink dress much like her own. The Guardians recognized her as Suzu.

The nearly identical cousins were sitting next to each other, between Lan and Hub, already showing the same infamous appetite as Lan. Mayl and Roll were clearly used to it after so many years, and the contents of the table looked like they might be enough to feed a small army. Plates of meat, fish, noodles, vegetables and other things were laid out, steamed, roasted, fried. With Hub's help, they had produced a veritable feast.

"Oh, you know." Hub said with a smile, before glancing at Lan, who looked absolutely stuffed. "I wanted to experience as much of life as possible. Given some people's love for food, it was a logical conclusion."

"I remember hearing about that..." Fairy reminisced.

One of the first things Hub had done after receiving the first set of modifications to his Copy Bot body to bring him closer to humanity had been to try his hand at cooking. Having gained a full set of senses in the physical world and the ability to taste food, he had turned out to possess a surprising talent for it. His joy in discovering and nurturing this talent had only been matched by the reactions of his family and friends whenever they tasted his handiwork, and when not out doing lab work or his usual heroics, he continued to hone his skills.

"I suppose I enjoy making things with my hands in general." Hub mused, wiggling his fingers. "It makes me feel part of the world, if that makes any sense."

"Come on!" Lan said, getting up with surprising agility considering the volume of food he had already gobbled down and grabbing more chairs from the nearby storeroom. "Don't be shy! We've got plenty for everyone!"

"I… really don't want to impose..." Sage hesitantly said.

"Nonsense!" Hub chimed in. "We love having guests."

"And while you're around..." Roll added with one of her trademark smiles. "Why not spend some time with the children? They keep asking about you."

While Sage was more guarded and aloof in his approach, Fairy found herself struggling to maintain her composure in the children's presence.

"_Just like when those two were young..." _she thought with a smile.

* * *

Three weeks passed, filled with minor skirmishes across the world, as if the aliens were simply going through the motions after the latest battle and the fiasco at the laboratory.

While the Skyranger airborne carrier – a massive, sturdy VTOL craft with jet engines – turned out to be a boon to the Robot Masters, it was still not the sort of vehicle that lent itself to frivolous use given the fuel requirements and the need to be ready to launch at any time. With the flight units installed and the machines shipped back home along with a large stash of reserve units, they began taking part in some of the skirmishes, sometimes as a team, sometimes with the Leonarch and Neo Atlantean units or with X-COM.

The flight units themselves, derived from the older Magnetic Levitation Engine in use in Neo Atlantis for over twenty years, were compact and efficient, countering the pull of gravity and allowing far greater mobility and speed. It would take some time, however, for the young pilots to grow accustomed to them, and the Guts Brothers would need extra training to handle their bulkier, heavier machine properly.

One day, after returning from one such mission, the Apotheosis landed in one of the X-COM hangar bays. Atreus stepped outside, carrying a bulky hard drive containing a selection of data on alien movements and skirmishes which had been put together by his parents and the Hikari twins in hopes of discerning a pattern in the entire evasion.

"Great work out there Sir Knight." Raito jokingly chimed in through the communicator on Atreus' watch.

"Same to you buddy." Atreus replied with a smile. "It looks like you're all getting used to those flight units."

"I'm glad we can all fly together now." Maito excitedly chimed in.

"Likewise." Aya chimed in. "After all, we cannot let you boys get excited and run off on your own."

"We have to go home though." Maria added. "It's getting late. Stay safe out there."

"You too." Atreus said.

On his way to the Geoscape room, he got lost and wandered around the base, eventually stumbling upon a living area not far from the main barracks. He stopped in front of an unmarked door and peeked inside, in hopes of finding someone he could ask for directions.

What he saw inside left him in stunned silence.

The Commander's young aide, the smiling girl he had met on his first formal visit to the base, was sitting on the floor in what looked like a small storeroom, seemingly oblivious to his presence… silently weeping, with her face drenched in tears. Judging by the glazed look in her eyes and the stench coming from the two drained bottles lying sideways on the floor, she wouldn't be snapping out of it anytime soon. Whatever was going through her mind, it had, combined with the drinks, driven her into a stupor.

He barely knew this woman. He had been aware of her existence for little more than three weeks, and while they crossed paths frequently during mission briefings and debriefings, they had never exchanged words directly.

Seeing her in this state, so raw, so vulnerable, full of sorrow, hurt him as if he had just been stabbed through the chest. Before he knew it, his barriers were crushed and her tears were his tears. First a single, lone one, rolling down his cheek, then a growing flood he could not control.

"_What's happening to me?" _he wondered, startled as he reached for his face and noticed the downpour. His feet felt like they were glued to the ground. He could not walk away or avert his gaze.

With his own emotional state slowly becoming more precarious over time, he did not know what to do, and in the end, he did the only thing he could. Finding no words with which to comfort her and knowing that she could probably not hear him in this state, he acted on his first instinct. He got down on one knee and silently held her, until both of them had no more tears to shed.

The sensation was difficult to put into words. His chest was pounding, in a way it had never done before, and he could feel her own heartbeat somehow. For a moment, he felt a brief dizziness, likely exhausted by the emotional outpouring, and feared he might faint.

Eventually, sensing that she had settled down, he found himself able to breathe freely again, the crushing grip on his chest subsiding. To his surprise, he realized she had somehow fallen asleep, likely exhausted by the outburst and whatever events had led to it. Just to be safe, he gently lifted her and started looking for the base infirmary. By the time she awakened, he hoped to be long gone so as to avoid any awkwardness.

"What's going on here?" the man he recognized as Master Sergeant Ray asked as he spotted Atreus rushing through one of the hallways.

"I have no idea..." Atreus said. "I got lost and found her like this in some random storeroom."

"Come with me." the Master Sergeant said, leading him in the correct direction.

As they stepped through the infirmary door, the doctor inside and Lieutenant Deikun abruptly stopped their conversation and looked at Atreus.

"What…?" the doctor asked.

"I… I..." Atreus tried to say.

"He says he found her like this." the Master Sergeant said.

The doctor leaned closer to take a better look and her face soon contorted into a scowl.

"That stench!" she hissed. "Just how much of that swill did she have?"

"I… counted two..." Atreus said, feeling a growing panic.

"_What if they think I did something to her?" _he thought in growing alarm.

The two man eased the unconscious Staff Sergeant onto a vacant bed and while the doctor set about examining her the Master Sergeant glanced at Atreus.

"You don't look so good yourself."

"I don't feel so good either..." he weakly replied.

"Just asleep..." the doctor concluded as she finished her cursory examination. "She'll be feeling like crap when she wakes up, but that's about it."

She then turned to Atreus, staring directly at his face with an undecipherable expression.

"You look like you're going into shock." she remarked. "What happened in there?"

"I don't know..." he said, feeling his hands shaking. "I just found her like that."

"Well, you do seem perfectly sober..." the doctor conceded. "But you have to admit this looks a bit suspicious."

"It's the truth." he said, taking a deep breath to steady himself. "Is she going to be all right?"

"You should be more worried about yourself." the Lieutenant remarked. "Even if you're telling the truth, you have to admit it looks rather suspicious."

"F-Fine..." Atreus admitted, his face turning a shade of red. "She wasn't strictly like this when I got there. She was crying her eyes out and unresponsive, so I stayed there and tried to settle her down. Happy?"

"Are you for real?" Captain Devon chimed in as he stepped through the door. "Do they even make more like you anymore?"

"W-What do you mean?" Atreus asked, visibly confused.

"You found her in such a state and instead of bolting, you stuck around and brought here here?" the Captain asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, I did get a bit lost on the way..." Atreus pointed out. "I don't know this place very well just yet."

To his surprise, the Captain chuckled.

"W-What's so funny?" Atreus asked.

"I've dealt with my fair share of scum in my previous line of work." the Captain said. "Your reactions tell me everything I need to know."

"Sir?" the Lieutenant asked.

"Of course he wouldn't have thought to use the alarms or call security." the Captain elaborated as he paced around Atreus. "He doesn't know how to do it yet. People might get the wrong idea if they saw him like this, but he still tried to do the right thing anyway."

"We've got a rare specimen here." the Captain remarked, turning to the others. "What some might call a sap or a fool, but my father could call a true gentleman."

"I only did what I thought was necessary." Atreus hesitantly said.

"A word outside, if you will." the Captain said, before stepping back out.

Surprised, Atreus followed, closing the door behind him.

"I feel I owe you my thanks..." the Captain said. "And an apology."

"An apology?" Atreus asked. "What do you mean?"

"I pride myself on being good at reading people, but she masked it well." the Captain said with a sigh. "The truth of the matter is… I'm aware of the Staff Sergeant… Sarah's situation, but I thought she was holding herself together."

"Holding herself together?" Atreus asked. "What do you mean? She was all sunshine and rainbows back in the briefings."

"Precisely." the Captain countered. "Didn't she seem a little too cheerful? Like she was forcing it?"

Searching his memories of the meetings, he realized the Captain had a point. Something had felt off, but he only realized it in retrospective.

"What exactly is going on here?" Atreus asked.

The Captain sighed and his expression darkened.

"Her parents have been missing since the first day of the invasion, presumed dead. I know this because my father and hers are very close friends. In fact, the whole reason why she is here in the first place is because Major Thorn wanted to ensure that both his girls were safe if anything happened to him."

"So that's why..." Atreus realized. "I did think she was a little too young to already be in a clandestine organization of this caliber. No offense to her skills, of course."

"She's also a bit of a… team mascot, shall we say?" the Captain added. "Everybody around here is fond of her, and anyone who tried to harm her would be in very hot water. You are lucky I was around, or someone else might have gotten the wrong idea. It's like she has a hundred godparents, and they're the kind of people you don't want to anger."

Atreus sighed.

"So I guess I did something very stupid."

"There's nothing stupid in wanting to help." the Captain retorted, shaking his head. "But in the future, just to avoid any misunderstandings and in case something else happens, I'm going to show you how to use the alarms and give you the contact frequency for base security."

* * *

Half an hour later, Atreus finally began heading home. Like clockwork, as soon as he reached the ocean the flying armored figure was waiting. As always, no words were exchanged, but the figure stared at him with her head slightly tilted to the side, as if sensing his turmoil.

"We meet again..." he muttered to himself.

This time, the sensation was different, as if the figure was not smiling, but instead frowning in concern. He was still no closer to figuring out how he even knew that, and this frustrated his fatigued mind.

"_Enough mysteries for today… I'm tired..."_

He continued on his way, and to his surprise the figure followed. Right before he reached the area over the Sanctum, however, she disappeared again.


	14. Flying Blades and Blossoming Light

Chapter 14 – Flying Blades and Blossoming Light

One morning, at the Hikari Laboratory, Lan and Hub were busy at work in one of the hangars.

Although their sponsors were generous and their pockets absurdly deep, paying the salaries of a small army of engineers, administrative and support staff, the twins had inherited their father and grandfather's work ethics, and insisted on doing as much as possible themselves. Although building, upgrading and maintaining a group of giant robots to fight off an alien invasion had not been their first career choice, there was a certain satisfaction in putting their own hands to it rather than just coming up with the designs and watching someone else put them together.

While industrial strength mechanical arms mounted on the walls and ceiling shifted large parts around, the twins were going over a list of items on a tablet.

"The aliens caught us with our pants down..." Lan grumbled, annoyed at himself.

"Chaud was smart to get us that military grade radar, but thanks to that annoying metal we only picked them up when they were practically on top of us." Hub added with a frown as he ran a finger over the screen, crossing an item off.

"Not to mention…" Hub added. "Detecting them won't do much good unless we have a reserve machine ready to move out..."

"It looks like we picked the worst time to start replacing those components in the Proto Machine's internals..." Lan lamented, casting a glance at the towering half-assembled robot in the center of the chamber, encased in metal scaffolding, with its plating painted a distinct shade of crimson.

"Do you think… he'll ever actually come for it?" Hub wondered with a pensive frown.

"I don't know..." Lan said, his good mood momentarily clouded. "He was so excited about it… and then went completely silent."

"There's definitely something going on." Hub affirmed with conviction. "But Yai has been pretty tight-lipped about it."

"Business responsibilities wouldn't be enough to keep him away from this." Lan agreed. "I know him too well. Which means something else happened… but what?"

"If we can find ProtoMan, maybe he can tell us what's going on..." Hub reasoned. "But Yai doesn't know where he is."

After an illustrious career in law enforcement alongside his operator Eugene Chaud, the Navi once known as ProtoMan had eventually decided to move out on his own. The decision had not been an easy one by all accounts, but both Navi and Operator had reached some sort of understanding.

The twins themselves had not seen ProtoMan in years, but knew that he would sporadically show up to visit the family. Aya in particular was very fond of her favorite uncle, and had at one point talked him into teaching her the basics of fencing. According to Yai and Aya, he seemed to be have fallen prey to a case of wanderlust. Having an entire new world to explore in his synthetic body had broadened his horizons, and he would occasionally send the family postcards from distant exotic locations, but nobody seemed to know what exactly he was doing between visits.

"I miss Proto." Lan said with a fond smile. "He's become a lot friendlier over the years, especially after Chaud and Yai started having kids."

"Yeah..." Hub recalled, while going over the items on a checklist on the screen. "In his case I'm not sure if he mellowed with age or if Aya gave him the push."

Lan smiled, remembering how the dutiful Navi had doted on the precocious girl like a proud uncle, trying to make life as easy as possible for the newly minted parents.

"I just wonder why he never took up a human name like most other Navis who moved over to physical bodies." Lan mused while adjusting the position of a wheeled ladder mounted on a rail, steering it closer to the towering machine.

"Honestly?" Hub replied with a sigh, still holding the tablet. "I think it's because it took him a very long time to stop thinking of himself as just a servant or a tool and more like an actual person. You remember how he was when we first met him, right? All business, duty and deletions."

"Yeah..." Lan said with a nod while checking some connectors on the exposed structure of the half-assembled robot. "That Dark Chip scare during the Red Sun Tournament was one hell of a wake up call for both of them."

"But we both know what was underneath it all." Hub added, setting the tablet down on a nearby table while his brother kept working.

Lan simply nodded.

"The way Chaud was raised left its marks." Hub pointed out while reaching for a tool from the table and stepping closer to hand it to his brother. "You remember how bad things between him and his father used to be. I think for a very long time he didn't even know how to show affection. Probably one of the reasons why he was so pent up half the time."

"Reminds me of someone else we know..." Lan pondered while tightening the strips holding a bundle of cables in place. "Nowhere near as angry or aggressive, mind you, but… from what Ciel tells me, and by his own admission, back in the day you'd think Cadmus was some kind of robot. You know, no sign of emotion."

Hub sighed and grabbed another wheeled ladder, adjusted its position and climbed up to give his brother a hand, with a small pouch full of tools hanging from a strap around his waist.

"Zero was like that too, remember?" he recalled. "Couldn't feel anything at first and didn't even care about his own existence. I'm glad he at least got to enjoy a bit of life… before Antarctica."

Being able to stabilize the virus and convert him into a true Navi with their father's help had been one of the proudest moments in the twins' heroic career. On the other hand, watching said Navi disappear in a surge of dark energy along with Gallant had been a heavy blow, compounded by the fact that Alouette and Dr. Rose's Navi Peach, who were not supposed to be there at all, had ended up swallowed as well. The dimensional distortion caused by Sigma saturating the entire area with dark energy had blurred the boundaries of the physical world and the Cyberworld, and its collapse had left nothing of the facility behind – not even rubble.

Pushing the memories aside, Hub returned to the subject.

"It just shows how much of a difference it makes..." he mused. "To actually feel connected to people around you."

"You were thinking about that again, weren't you?" Lan deduced, knowing his brother all too well and noticing the brief mood shift through their bond.

"We won…" Hub said with a sigh. "But the way it ended left a bad taste in my mouth."

"I've been doing some thinking about that, actually…" Lan said pensively. "And the dark mirror in the bottom of Black Earth. Some of the things Serenade showed us…"

"It feels like at least some of them ended up happening." Hub noted. "Mayl becoming a teacher, our boys becoming thick as thieves and making her job a lot more interesting."

"We could have predicted those things on our own, but what about the others?" Lan wondered. "That screaming boy with the glowing eyes. That girl standing next to him. We couldn't see their faces very well, but…"

"I'd almost forgotten about that." Hub realized. "Not to mention we saw ourselves starting up the X-1 for the first time, before we even realized what we were seeing."

"No." Lan said, shaking his head. "That was not the X-1. That was the…"

"How…?" Hub muttered with an incredulous expression. "How did the mirror pick up those specific details? Serenade said they were potential futures, but..."

"I don't know." Lan conceded. "Sometimes it feels like there's more going on right under our noses… or above our heads."

"The Librarian definitely knows more than he's letting on." Hub reasoned. "After all, we have people from at least two other Earths moving around ours right now. There's no way he wouldn't know about that. I wonder what else he's not telling us."

"He hasn't given us any reason not to trust him so far…" Lan said with a nod. "But I don't like being kept in the dark, even if he thinks it's for our own good."

Lan finished the task at hand and moved on to closing the access hatch and locking it in place.

"As for family… I don't agree with everything Yai's parents did when they raised her..." he mused. "But you can tell the love was there, even if they were a bit on the high class workaholic side."

"Yeah..." Hub said, checking the condition of a servomotor in the robot's right thigh. "I guess since since she's an only child, they wanted to make sure she'd have everything… even if what she wanted the most was their company."

"They've calmed down a lot since they retired." Lan noted with a smile, extending the ladder a little higher until it reached the robot's left hand, covered in crimson Titanium X plating. "We hardly got to see them around when we were kids, but they definitely look happier nowadays."

"Yeah..." Hub said. "And honestly, I think Yai and Chaud have been a lot happier ever since they got together."

"I don't remember ever seeing him smile before they became an item." Lan said with a nod as he examined the condition of the finger joints. "Not even once. Just those I-smell-a-fart smirks he used to make."

"Well, you did love riling up up back in the day." Hub pointed out with a smirk as he finished closing a small access panel and locking it in place.

"He started most of those situations, remember?" Lan countered, trying to make an innocent expression despite the fact that his younger self had derived some enjoyment from proving Chaud wrong in some of his assumptions… and pushing his buttons.

"He could be a bit of a jerk sometimes… but not a bad person." Lan added, before wiping a bead of sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "He'd probably make some smartass remark if he heard me talking like this, but… Yai is right."

"Oh?"

"He wasn't much of a people person when we were kids, but when it comes down to it, you, him and I… we're all cut from the same cloth. Why do you think he joined the Officials back in the day? Or the International Security Committee?"

"Because he wanted to protect the innocent." Hub deduced. "But he was more at home busting criminals than comforting the victims."

"Exactly." Lan said with a smile. "And look how much he's changed since then, now that he has what he was missing."

"When did you get so damn insightful anyway?" Hub joked. "Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

"I suppose most of it is hindsight." Lan admitted with a shrug as he descended from the ladder. "But something amazing happened to me when I finally learned to understand people's feelings."

Hub unceremoniously jumped down from his perch, taking advantage of his synthetic body. The brothers each wheeled one of the ladders away and shortly after the robotic arms set about picking up the remaining components of the robot's plating and setting them back in place.

"You mean when you finally took the blinders off and saw the obvious?" Hub teased, alluding to their teenage days and Lan's apparent inability to see the burning affection his future wife harbored for him.

"Smartass..." Lan retorted.

"_I guess we've all changed..." _Hub mused.

"I always knew when it came to Roll." Hub said before flashing a rather smug grin. "After all, my head isn't made of neutronium like yours. But I wanted to let things happen at the right time."

Ignoring the jab, Lan simply smiled.

"You know bro… We're the luckiest guys on Earth."

"After all the crazy stuff we found out, about X, about the parallel Earths and so on..." Hub mused. "I wonder if there are other versions of us out there and if they ended up finding this kind of happiness."

"Considering that at least one version of you had Roll for a sister…" Lan pointed out with a smug grin.

"You're never gonna let that go, are you?" Hub retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Seriously though… We can always go to Ciel and find out." Lan suggested. "If anyone knows how to set those dimensional gates to other places..."

"You mean our Ciel or their Ciel?" Hub asked.

"Why not both?" Lan retorted with a shrug, before a mischievous idea bloomed in his mind. "Actually, since they could pass for twins, do you think they ever switch places just to prank people?"

"That's the kind of thing you'd do." Hub retorted, rolling his eyes again.

"Oh c'mon bro!" Lan playfully said. "Don't tell me you were never tempted to do that just to see if you could get away with it."

"First of all, it wouldn't work since everybody could tell me apart from a goofball like you in minutes." Hub jokingly retorted. "Secondly, with all the girls crushing on you back in the day… just no."

"Wait what?" Lan muttered, looking rather dumbfounded.

"If you never figured that out, then I'm not telling you either." Hub said, crossing his arms. "In fact, if we can't perfect the Titanium X formula on our end, maybe we can just plate the machines with whatever stuff your thick head is made of."

"_Seriously…_" Hub thought, leering at his brother. _"You never even suspected? Between Pride, Iris, Sal, Shuko, Jasmine… and maybe even Yai? Or are you just __playing dumb__ to __spare them the embarrassment__?"_

From an elevated catwalk, Ms. Yumi watched them with a smile. Though she was too far away to overhear their conversation, the sight of them busy at work on the giant robot brought back fond memories.

"_I could get used to this..."_

As her growing fondness for her unexpected companions clashed with the guilt for misleading them, she walked out the door.

"_I don't know if I can ever repay your kindness, but I'm sure as hell going to keep trying.__"_

"Oh!" Tron interjected at the sight of her. "There you are!"

"Something wrong?"

"Have you seen my toolbox?" Tron asked. "Maybe I left it in the hangar?"

"I haven't seen it, but the Professors are there now." Ms. Yumi said. "Best to let them work in peace."

At the mention of the twins, Tron's eyes lit up.

"O-Oh." she muttered. "OK..."

Noticing her reaction, Ms. Yumi sighed and rolled her eyes.

"_G__irl, you need to get over that crush of yours already.__"_

A few moments later, X stepped inside the hangar, back in civilian clothes.

"Oh." Lan said. "There you are."

"Sorry about the wait." X said, waving at them. "I was looking into something."

"No worries." Lan said. "We have plenty here to keep ourselves busy."

"How are things on the other side of the mirror?" Hub asked.

"Still pretty quiet." X said. "Ciel has a few ideas that might help over here, but she doesn't want to spoil the surprise before she's worked out all the kinks."

"You mean your Ciel, our Ciel or both?" Hub asked.

"Yes." X replied with a grin.

"Smartass." Lan retorted, with a chuckle. "Guess Yai was right about us getting more alike with age."

"Well, when you get to my age, I don't think you'll be this well preserved." X pointed out with a good-natured smile. "Of course life could throw even more surprises at all of us."

"You've definitely loosened up since we first met." Lan noted. "Guess we didn't realize how much stuff was bearing down on you back then."

"You may be a little taller." X remarked, recalling the circumstances of their first encounters. "But you're mostly still the same."

"On another note, I guess we should have expected you to know Gilliam." Hub said.

"I know a lot of people, thanks to all the shenanigans with the X-Zone and Cross Gates." X said with a shrug. "I was definitely surprised when you mentioned his name though. It's not the first time he's signed up with a group along the lines of X-COM, but I thought he was looking for his way home."

"His way home?" Hub asked.

"A world called Elpis." X said. "I don't know all the details, but he left or was exiled or something like that. He's been to at least a dozen Earths since then, but I guess the call of home is becoming too strong."

"I knew it…" Lan said, satisfied to have his suspicion confirmed. "Another one."

"But… exiled?" Hub chimed in. "What happened?"

"Gilliam has his secrets." X said. "He doesn't like talking about his past. But he's definitely the kind of man you want on your side."

"Do you know anything about Asaru, by the way?" Hub asked.

"This is the first I've heard of him." X said, shaking his head. "Looking back, I realize he was involved in the fighting in Antarctica when we all took on this Earth's version of Sigma together, but whoever he is or whatever he was doing before, he seems to have covered his tracks well."

"Really?" Lan asked. "But he said…"

"That he's fought on several Earths?" X deduced. "Yes, that fits what we uncovered here and there. X-COM itself is known to some of our acquaintances… but Asaru himself is a mystery. The few out there who've heard of him know him simply as the Commander. Nothing else."

"Apart from his habit of messing with people's minds..." Hub mused. "He does look like he's on our side. But something about him feels off."

"You've felt it too then?" Lan asked. "He's got the kind of face that slips out of your memory, even without using that weird ability of his."

"I've heard of people with psionic abilities before." X said. "Even met a few myself. Watch yourself Lan… and don't meet with him alone unless you absolutely have to."

"Ciel was smart to only give him a small sample of orichalcum for now." Lan said. "This way we can see what he does with it. I want to trust him, but it can't hurt to be careful with that kind of stuff."

"I asked Raziel about these Ethereals Asaru mentioned…" X said with a disturbed look on his face. "I won't repeat what he said, but they're the stuff of nightmares. If Asaru is going to such lengths to conceal himself, it may be because of them."

X then turned to the towering robot behind the twins, still in the process of being reassembled.

"So this is the Proto Machine, huh?" he asked, turning his head up to get a better look. "I wonder what Blues would say if he saw this."

Meanwhile, in another part of the city…

"Oh!" Maria said, spotting the well-dressed woman in a navy blue business dress. "You are..."

"We meet again." Fairy said with a smile, apparently in the process of enjoying a large cone of ice cream. Her azure hair, for a change of pace, was cascading loosely down her back. Despite the relaxed stance, however, her matching eyes still kept a sharp lookout around her, as befitting the original purpose of her creation.

"Hello Ms. Fairy." Maria said, nodding politely. "What brings you here?"

"I'm guessing the same reason as you." Fairy said, still smiling, glancing at the cone in the young girl's hand.

"That's right." Maria said with a fond smile of her own, turning her head to the front of a nearby shop with a cheerful red and white decoration motif and a sculpture in the shape of a penguin as tall as her standing next to the glass door. "This has to be one of the best ice cream shops in the world."

With that, she nibbled on a vanilla flavored scoop and let out a tiny squeak of delight.

"Just… the best!"

"It's like watching history repeat itself." Sage remarked with a hint of amusement as he stepped into view clad in a green business suit and matching shoes, wearing a pair of white silk gloves. His short green hair, cut short, was impeccably combed with what looked like a generous dose of gel.

"_You three are never going to let that go, are you?"_ Fairy thought, casting a dirty look at her sibling, who in turn flashed the faintest hint of a grin, locking his green eyes on her while enjoying her reaction.

"What do you mean, Mr. Sage?" Maria asked, turning to him.

"Never mind that." Fairy said with a forced smile, trying to sound casual and abruptly turning back to her sibling. "Here, you have to try some of this stuff."

And with that, she unceremoniously shoved as much of her ice cream cone as she could into Sage's open mouth.

Maria quirked an eyebrow, watching him let out a muffled grunt of surprise, and then let out a soft laugh. Raito came out of the shop just in time to witness the scene and stopped in his tracks, with a large ice cream cone of his own in hand and a look of confused amusement on his face.

"What did I miss?" the boy quipped.

"Not much." Fairy retorted rather dismissively. "Just that brother of mine being a handful."

"I'm a little surprised though." Maria said after she finally managed to stop laughing. "I thought both of you had gone home."

"After the incident at the lab, we've been keeping an eye out on things here." Fairy explained. "At least until some other plans can be implemented."

"It still feels a little weird to see you two out here like this…" Raito remarked, before pausing to take a lick of his ice cream. "You could almost pass for normal people if Sage wasn't wearing something like that."

"I told him he looked like an oversized lime." Fairy said with a smug expression.

Sage cast her a dirty look as he finally finished chewing through the ice cream stuck in his mouth, genuinely more annoyed at the waste than at her remark.

"Sometimes you really are a philistine." he grumbled. "Don't waste something like this. We don't know when we'll have another chance to come back here."

"And to think you didn't want to come at all." Fairy smugly retorted.

"I just didn't think we'd have enough time." Sage clarified rather defensively. "I didn't expect things to stay quiet this long."

Then, feeling Maria and Raito's stares upon him, he glanced at them.

"What?" he asked, wondering if there was something on his face.

As if on cue, the children's PETs started beeping.

"You jinxed it." Raito pouted.

Overhead, the massive form of the Skyranger came into view high above the buildings.

The black airborne carrier looked like an upscaled version of the typical transport helicopter, only with VTOL turbines mounted on the sides and a jet engine in the back, and a sleeker, more aerodynamic frame with the X-COM insignia prominently on display in the front above the cockpit canopy.

Originally developed as an infantry transport for rapid deployment and recall of small squadrons, it had been considerably upscaled to accommodate the size and weight of MEC squadrons and their support equipment, along with extra fuel reserves. However, the essence of the basic design had remained the same.

"I do question the point of a covert organization making such a conspicuous entrance…" Sage remarked.

"I suppose it stopped being strictly covert the minute it started having giant robot fights." Maria pointed out in her usual, precociously eloquent manner.

"Point taken." Sage conceded.

"I think that's our ride." Raito said, deducing it was the Skyranger loaned to the Robot Masters by X-COM. "Maybe we should paint it blue or something to help tell it apart?"

A boarding hatch opened on one of the sides of the craft as it took a stationary position and a pair of cables were deployed.

"Coming?" Raito asked, glancing at the two Agents before grabbing one of the ropes and tying it around his waist as one of the soldiers at the base had demonstrated.

"We'll meet you there." Sage said.

"Watch yourselves." Fairy added as she moved in to help Maria with her own cable.

Once both of them were securely tied, Sage gestured at the craft and the crewman peering out of the hatch nodded and activated the electric winches connected to the cables, hoisting pair up.

Once both of them were inside the passenger hold, they saw the team's machines waiting for them.

"Yo." Dex said, waving at them.

"Sorry to interrupt your little date, but…" Aya chimed in, relishing Raito and Maria's embarrassed reactions.

"N-Never mind that…" Maria stuttered, glaring at her best friend. "Where did they hit now?"

"The most predictable and cliché location ever." Aya said. "Tokyo."

"Like every other giant monster and alien and space witch…" Maito pointed out.

"I suppose I should be relieved that you're cheerful enough to make wisecracks about it." Shingo remarked. "But do try to take things a little more seriously."

"_I guess it's how they cope."_ Maria mused, painfully aware of the reality of their situation but still trying to stay resolute.

Raito and Maria sighed and exchanged glances.

"What are we going to do with these now?" Maria wondered, raising her ice cream cone, whose contents had somehow survived the abrupt ascent but were beginning to melt.

Meanwhile, in the base at the Black Forest…

As Atreus sat at another briefing with his sister and some of the group of soldiers that had been introduced to them as the Peregrine Falcons, he found himself having trouble focusing. The reason for such was currently standing next to a projection screen, highlighting mission details with an old-fashioned extensible metal pointer.

The Staff Sergeant abruptly went silent and stepped towards him.

"Is something the matter?" she asked, calm and professional as he had always seen her in public.

"_I guess she doesn't remember..."_ he thought with relief. _"No need to remind her either."_

The look of utter despair on her face during their previous encounter was proving difficult to forget. He had tried to push it out of his mind, but being in her presence once more was bringing it back to the forefront of his memory. Scrambling for something to say, he just blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"I hear peaches are in season."

"What...?" she muttered, completely dumbfounded, while some of the other soldiers scoffed and laughed.

"P-Peaches." he stuttered. "Fresh, not canned."

Next to him, Amelia gave him a quizzical look. He had not spoken to anyone else about what he had witnessed, so she had no idea what was going on.

The sight of the Staff Sergeant's face in such relatively close proximity triggered something, and he felt another bout of dizziness. Next to him, Amelia noticed something was off. As she studied the young woman's face, she too felt a strange sensation, though to a lesser extent.

"Do you two have some sort of medical condition?" the Staff Sergeant asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"No." Amelia said, shaking her head.

"Then… what..." the Staff Sergeant started to stay before trailing off. "Oh my… Maybe we should all take a break."

"_What…__"_ Amelia thought, noticing the change in her facial expression. _"__Her too?"_

"Must be something in the ventilation." a blond-haired man with brown eyes remarked in an Italian accent, wearing a sleeveless red vest over his piloting suit. "We've all been spending too much time underground breathing recycled air."

"Maybe you're right..." the Staff Sergeant mused. "Once we're done here, I'll write a memo for maintenance. Now then, as I was saying..."

"_What __was__ that?"_ Amelia wondered, glancing at her brother. _"First he starts getting th__o__se bouts… __then me __and now __her __too?"_

Outside, after the meeting...

"So it's not just me..." Atreus realized.

"No..." Amelia confirmed. "I think the first time it happened to me was when we first fought together. Nowhere near as bad as your bouts, but..."

"Do you remember what set it off?"

Amelia searched her memories in an attempt to pinpoint it. After a while, she straightened her glasses.

"The sword, maybe? Something about that move you pulled…"

"The sword?" Atreus asked.

"Not the sword itself." Amelia clarified. "The way it unfolded… and that move you pulled… Where did you learn to do that anyway?"

"I don't know." Atreus recalled. "That thing reacted on its own… and I just knew. As for the weird feeling, I think the same thing happened the first time I used it. And then there were the voices when I shielded that plane…"

"What's wrong with us?" Amelia wondered with growing concern.

"I don't know." Atreus said, trying to stay calm. "But we can't go on like this. It's only a matter of time until we have a serious accident or someone gets hurt while we're spacing out."

"I think those two know something." Amelia said, remembering the words of the entities.

"You are not yourselves…" Atreus repeated. "You do not know yourselves… What did he mean?"

"And that part about forcing an awakening?" Amelia added.

"I can't explain some of the things that machine does." Atreus said. "Or why it's affecting our minds. Maybe it's some kind of lost technology?"

"But I wasn't even inside it the first time it happened to me." Amelia pointed out. "And I haven't been there in a while so…"

"You mean there's something else going on?" Atreus deduced.

"Correlation is not causation." Amelia enunciated, drawing back on the lessons learned in her studies. "We shouldn't jump to conclusions. But there's probably some connection."

"Right." Atreus said with a nod. "We're scientists in training after all. We have to separate the evidence from our speculation."

They were interrupted by the sight of another woman walking towards them. Slightly older than them, but definitely familiar With a sudden unease, he realized it was the Professor… and that she was staring right at him.

"A moment of your time." she said in an even tone, her expression inscrutable.

Her tone and the look in her hazel eyes made it seem more like a command than a request, and Atreus suspected he knew the reason.

"_Oh crap…"_ he thought.

"What is this about?" he hesitantly asked.

"I think you know." she said, narrowing her eyes ever-so-slightly.

"_Skata…"_ he thought, momentarily drawing upon his grandfather's native language.

Meanwhile, in the Far East...

With a low hum, the X-1's systems came to life. The Rush Jet's wings, too wide for moving around in the airborne carrier, were momentarily retracted as it made its way to the open hatch on the back of the craft.

"Well then…" Raito said.

"Showtime!" Maito added.

As the X-1 jumped off mid-flight, the recently installed Magnetic Levitation Engines kicked in, turning its dive into a soft descent. As they made their way down, the boys surveyed the cityscape below, where the familiar forms of alien infantry models were swarming.

"Is it just me, or have they stopped using the drones?" Maito asked.

"After what you did, I can't blame them." Raito pointed out.

The Gemini Machine followed the X-1 closely. Maria was not willing to stay in the back of the formation as usual, instead relishing in her machine's newfound flight capabilities.

"_I could get used to this…"_ she thought with a smile, trying not to think too hard about what was likely happening on the ground.

While some of the other Robot Masters had struggled a bit to get used to the added mobility, Aya seemed to have adapted quite well. Able to put some of the Spark Machine's excess energy to use, she circled around like a bird of prey, surveying the battleground.

"_We shall see how th__o__se buzzards enjoy this!" _she thought, proud of the power at her command and her growing prowess.

She entertained the notion of a surprise lightning strike before landing, but her thoughts were interrupted by the Guts Machine plummeting past the others with all the grace of a brick.

"Steady!" Chisao warned. "Hold it steady!"

"Gimme that!" GutsMan grumbled, taking the controls and halting the awkward tumble just as the thickly built robot began to approach the skyline, still spinning but mostly under control.

The descent definitely drew attention below, as several of the alien machines opened fire.

"Why you…!" Dex grumbled, before reaching for his set of controls and unleashing a Rocket Punch at the nearest assailant.

"Behind you!" Shingo warned, diving after them in the Drill Machine.

"We've got this!" Dex said with a grin. "Stay clear kids!"

Still airborne, the Guts Machine's trajectory shifted, increasing the speed of its descent. Dex steered it into a cluster of enemy units, ignoring the impact of their shots. Then, right before hitting the ground, the Guts Machine raised its right leg forward and started spinning with growing speed.

The first three alien machines struck by the kick were knocked around like bowling pins, while the rest were shoved aside by the violent air dislocation.

"Been meanin' to try that for a while…" Dex muttered to himself with a grin as the Guts Machine finally landed.

The Guts Machine, easily the heaviest of the group, had suffered from limited agility due to its bulk and the reinforced armor plating. While its pilots would still take a while to get used to the heightened mobility, for the time being Dex was satisfied to be able to use more of his master's techniques on the battlefield.

Seizing the moment, the remaining Robot Masters landed around the Guts Machine and went on the offensive. The Gemini Machine, beating the others to the punch, was the second to touch down. It shimmered for a moment, projecting a hard light barrier behind it, and then two of its temporary doppelgangers materialized and dashed forth, one to the left and the other to the right. Each of them locked onto an alien unit, tackling it to the ground. Instead of dissipating, however, the constructs still lingered a few moments longer.

"_They're lasting longer…" _Shingo noticed, sensing an opportunity. _"In that case…"_

With that, he followed up on his sister's move with a Drill Missile on each target.

"Let's see…" Maito muttered to himself as he browsed the weapons list. "What to try next?"

"Maybe they added a little too much stuff…" Raito retorted, firing a burst of Buster shots. "Just pick one and go."

With a grumble, Maito realized that a good portion of the weapons list was locked, likely to avoid that exact issue, or simply to keep the boys from getting too carried away. While they were busy making up their minds, Aya charged ahead and fulminated two targets.

"Nice, but don't get careless." Chisao cautioned. "These things are garbage, but they have numbers on their side."

"_Is it just me though…"_ Maria wondered as an alien unit took a Gemini Beam to the chest but kept going until a Drill Missile finished the job. _"Or have they been gradually getting stronger?"_

One of the alien units managed to sneak behind the Gemini Machine, only for the hard light barrier to take the brunt of its assault.

"Begone, buzzard." Aya hissed, preparing to unleash another Spark Shock.

It was then that more alien units focused their fire on the barrier, rapidly depleting it. Maria barely had time to move the Gemini Machine out of the way before a burst of energy projectiles whizzed past its head, tearing ugly gouges on the crystalline head ornaments.

The Spark Machine gathered energy in its hands and Aya clutched the controls, directing it at the objects of her ire.

"SPARK BURST!" she cried out.

The capacitors flared and instead of the usual golden lightning, the energy surged in a shade of crimson-orange. Wherever it struck, the air became superheated and started loudly popping in a cascade of small explosions, ripping the assailants' machines apart.

As the last one fell, a surprising silence fell over the battlefield.

"_That's it?" _Shingo wondered. _"I thought there would be more of them…"_

"Are you quite finished?" a voice suddenly interjected, breaking the silence with the robotic enunciation of the alien translators.

Though the voice was robbed of any distinctiveness, the design of the machine was definitely familiar.

"You again." Raito noted, narrowing his eyes, recognizing the presence despite the robotic voice modulation.

A towering black machine with golden highlights stepped into view, clearly of alien design, standing at nearly twice the height of the Guts Machine as it ponderously paced, as if showing off. Its design was humanoid, with elongated arms and disproportionately large feet, clad in ornate plating with elaborate golden engravings in complex overlapping geometric patterns. On its back, a circular ornament was mounted, with jagged spikes much like on the preceding model, but sixteen instead of eight. A pair of spikes protruded from the outer edge of each wrist and its right hand was clutching a long, ornate staff, fashioned out of some strange material resembling obsidian, which glistened in the sun, topped by a misshapen claw clutching an opaque silvery orb.

"Are you here to talk crap again and get another beating?" Maito added.

"I am here to deal with you…" the alien stated, his machine coming to a halt. "Machine Soul."

"What makes ya think yer gettin' a chance?" Dex retorted, interposing the Guts Machine between the X-1 and the alien.

"Consider the following." the alien said, his smugness dripping even through the automated translation.

On cue, a group of around twenty armored units descended from above in a circular formation, completely surrounding them.

"Yer gonna need more than that." GutsMan taunted, shifting the Guts Machine into a fighting stance. "A lot more."

"Perhaps…" the alien retorted.

Whether it was due to the robotic intonation of the translator or the alien himself, every word coming out of his mouth made them want to punch him even more.

"But what kind of collateral damage would you cause if this many units were to fight here?" he added.

"You mongrel…" Aya hissed, discerning his intent.

"Yer gonna regret that, ya spineless piece of…" GutsMan growled, glaring furiously at the towering alien machine.

"Coward!" Raito shouted, shaking his fist in anger.

"They will not move unless I order them to." the alien smugly informed. "So you will face me alone… unless you want to deal with the alternative."

That was not quite what Raito had expected to hear.

"What?"

"What do you take me for, primitive?" the alien retorted. "A cur?"

"Considering how your buddies have been acting so far…" Raito pointed out.

"Do not compare me to such debased scum." the alien hissed, his machine lurching forward. "Under different circumstances they would never have been elevated to this position."

"Why should we believe one damn word coming out of your mouth?!" Shingo contested.

"You have shown nothing but violence and savagery and now you expect us to listen?!" Aya fumed.

Raito reached for the controls and muted outbound communications.

"I hate to admit it, but that asshole has us where he wants us." he noted. "Any ideas?"

"I think those machines are unmanned." Maito deduced, looking at the readouts on the monitors. "But I don't know if I can take over this many… and if I mess it up, they could still wreck the place."

"Yeah…" Raito acknowledged. "Those things must weigh twenty or thirty tons each."

"I care nothing for the primitives you surround yourself with, machine." the alien added, growing impatient. "This is between you and me. If they do not interfere, then I will withdraw these units, regardless of the result."

"Now then…" Belphes added, raising the staff in a fighting stance. "Are you going to face me, or would you rather deal with the alternative?"

"We have no reason to expect him to keep his word…" Maito groaned.

"Yeah…" Raito conceded. "But at least we can buy time for anyone still around to get clear."

"Guess we'll just have to give him what he wants." Maito said, gripping the controls. "And then some."

"Damnit all…" Dex grumbled, clenching his fists as he watched on, silently cursing himself for having allowed the team to be caught in such a situation.

The nearly identical cousins exchanged glances, then nodded at each other and Maito turned outbound sound transmission back on.

"We'll be fine." Raito reassured as the X-1 stepped forward in a slow, deliberate pace. "We already sent this clown packing once, even if we had help. Just get ready to take out those tin cans once he's down."

"_What are they doin'?"_ Dex wondered, before realization set in. _"No… I get it. Those kids really take after their parents."_

"You heard the boys!" he said out loud.

"Master?" Shingo hesitantly asked.

"I hate sitting around with my hands in my pockets as much as you." Dex admitted. "But right now, we've gotta trust those two."

The X-1 opened up with a charged shot, which caught the alien machine in the gut, lightly scorching the point of impact but not doing much in the way of visible damage. In a burst of speed, the alien machine barreled forth, sweeping the staff in a wide arc and clipping the X-1's left leg, knocking it off balance. The boys managed to keep their wits about them and broke the fall with one of the X-1's hands, pushing it back into a standing position just in time for a vertical strike from the staff to hit it right at the top of the head, sending vibrations through the structure.

Feeling his bones briefly shake from the impact, Raito clenched his teeth and conjured a Monomolecular Cutter through the Variable Weapons System while charging a shot on the left arm's Buster.

Getting in close, gouging the plating and firing the Buster through the opening seemed like a sound plan, but the boys failed to account for the speed of the staff, thrashing around in a blur. As they tried to approach, the head connected with the single use weapon, knocking it out of their grasp and shattering it. Not wanting to lose momentum, they charged forward, landing a three shot burst at point blank range with the right arm Buster before being forced back once again.

While trying to avoid the staff, ducking and rolling around, the boys weighed their options.

"_Can't use the Magnetic Shockwave here…" _Maito pondered. _"Too many buildings…"_

The alien took another swing, clipping the X-1's right leg and visibly denting the plating. The blue robot tumbled to the side, unleashing its charged shot only for another spin of the staff to intercept it, harmlessly dissipating the energy.

"_The Spark Machine's weapons might get the job done…"_ Raito reasoned. _"But we've gotta get close enough and that stick is in the way…"_

As they tried to think and fight at the same time, their footwork started getting sloppy. Knocked off balance again by a blow to the midsection, which cracked the plating, the X-1 stumbled, stopping dangerously short of hitting the front of an office building. With growing alarm, the boys realized there were still people inside.

Feeling the eyes of the bystanders upon them, mostly salarymen and the odd person still on the sidewalks, the boys tensed up, realizing that the slightest mistake on their part could be fatal to others.

"You claim not to be a machine." the alien sermonized, seemingly amused by their predicament. "But despite wearing the face of one of these primitives… I know your kind."

Some of the people still on the street and in the nearby buildings were definitely terrified. The boys could see as much through the cameras mounted on the eyes of the X-1 and in other strategic spots alongside its body.

"_Why __they still here__?" _Raito wondered, fearful for their safety. _"__Why aren't they running away?"_

Then, as the alien veered dangerously close to another building, something unexpected happened. In the throes of not fear, but fury, a random, unremarkable middle-aged office worker rolled up his sleeves, opened the thirty-seventh floor window and threw a stapler at the alien machine.

"Leave the kids alone you piece of crap!" he bellowed.

"_Wait what?"_ the boys thought in unison.

Then another office worker on the building next door opened a twentieth floor window and hurled an empty energy drink can at the alien robot.

"Go to hell!" the man in his thirties shouted.

"_Is this the salaryman mentality?"_ Aya wondered. _"Do these people not care what happens to them?"_

In the streets below, a random, unremarkable police officer finished ushering a mother and her children to the nearest Metroline station. The boys incredulously watched as the officer, a woman younger than their mothers, raised her service pistol and fired a shot at the towering alien machine in a useless gesture of defiance.

Duel or not, Maria was not taking any chances. While the others tried to process what was happening, she hastily moved in the Gemini Machine to shield the woman with one of its hard light barriers before the alien got any ideas.

"Are these people insane?!" Maito wondered.

"No…" Raito realized, clenching his fist. "Not insane. But I guess they believe in us, so…"

"We can't disappoint." Maito understood.

"Your people are overly fond of futile gestures." Belphes remarked. "But no matter. That will not-"

"Shut the hell up!" Raito shouted.

"You don't know a damn thing about me, or any of us!" Maito added.

Though the preceding month had been one of frequent battles, they were still learning the ropes and not fully confident in their abilities. Given the circumstances, however, they silently decided that it was time to stop hesitating.

"It's on!" Raito growled, bringing the X-1 to a full stop and firmly planting both its feet on the ground. "Battle routine, set!"

"Execute!" Maito hissed.

There was definitely a change in the air, a shift felt both by the other Robot Masters and the alien, though the latter continued his onslaught as if nothing had happened.

The X-1 dodged the incoming staff strike and retaliated with a Spark Shock, buying the boys enough time to close the gap and once again emulate the Guts Machine with a potent punch to the faceplate. The staff came down again on the blue robot's right shoulder, visibly cracking the surface, but the boys did not flinch, instead returning the favor with a point blank Storm Tornado, shearing off portions of their opponent's black armor plating.

Unnoticed by everyone else, X stood on a rooftop in full armor, far enough away to avoid any stray fire but close enough for his sight to pick up everything. He had lingered there since the beginning of the battle, eyeing the X-1 like a hawk, ready to intervene if the situation called for it. Watching the duel unfold, he smiled.

"Those boys really are something…" Ms. Yumi chimed in through his built-in communications system.

"They really are." X agreed with a nod, though she could not see him. "A few minutes ago they were stumbling around. And now look at them."

Realizing that a protracted battle would be to their disadvantage, the boys tried to come up with a plan. Looking at the Variable Weapons System's display, Maito had an idea.

"See this thing here? Acid Burst? What if..."

"Two special weapons at the same time?" Raito asked, somehow knowing exactly what he was thinking. "You madman! Let's do it!"

"Wait... They can do that?" Ms. Yumi chimed in from the lab, watching the scene next to Lan and Hub.

"Ever heard of Program Advances, Ms. Yumi?" Lan retorted with what could only be described as a shit eating grin.

"Storm Tornado… and Acid Burst…" Hub noted. "I can guess what's coming..."

"Have a taste of our…" the boys cried out in unison. "RUST HURRICANE!"

Ms. Yumi did not have a suitable comment for that, instead quirking an eyebrow and watching silently as the combined weapons produced a corrosive vortex that visibly sheared a large portion of the alien robot's armor. The machine's bulk worked against it, allowing the boys to direct the entirety of the attack at it without having to worry about collateral damage. The combination of acid and gale force winds left the front of the alien robot disfigured, with its protective outer layer dripping away and falling off in chunks, exposing a gray metallic layer underneath it.

"It looks like we're late for the party…" Fairy remarked through a transmission.

"And whose fault was that?" Sage retorted.

Watching the battle unfold from a distance, the Great Harpuia and Great Leviathan stood, their pilots trying to look as inconspicuous as possible given their size and shapes.

"Don't get any closer." Raito cautioned, making sure to transmit on a private channel. "He's…"

"We know." Fairy said. "We've heard everything."

"Keep him busy." Sage chimed in. "We're going to try something."

"No rush." Raito retorted just as the X-1 rolled out of the way of the alien machine's staff. "I owe this bastard some payback for what he and his buddies have been doing."

"_That's a lot of t__hem__…"_ Fairy pondered, furiously running targeting calculations on her machine's computers. _"We're going to have to time this just right..."_

"What are you doing in there?" Aya asked, fighting the urge to help the boys out of fear of what the unmanned units might do to the cityscape.

"You'll see." Fairy said. "We probably won't be able to get them all, but if we're quick enough that should give you an opening to finish the job."

"_You've never tried it on this many targets before though…"_ Sage thought, already acquiring targets as well. _"I hope your machine can take it."_

The boys kept putting up a valiant fight and their unexpected weapon combination had definitely slowed their opponent down. However, the damage to the X-1 was beginning to add up.

"You know what?" Lan chimed in from the lab. "I think it's time."

"What do you mean?" Raito asked.

"We were worried about what might happen if you missed or got carried away, but this counts as an emergency…" Hub added. "Not to mention that thing is literally too big for you to miss."

"It's time." Lan said. "Code DWN-009! Release!"

The Variable Weapons System's display lit up and a message appeared.

**M****ETAL BLADE UNLOCKED**

The boys' faces lit up with gleeful grins and they set out to test their new weapon. In a flash, what looked like a metallic circular saw blade materialized in the X-1's hand. It did not look particularly remarkable, and they exchanged a confused glance.

"That's it?" Raito wondered as he prepared to throw it, visibly disappointed. "Doesn't look…"

The blade clipped the alien machine's left hand and effortlessly severed the bottom two fingers before breaking. The disappointment soon gave way to shock and then to excitement.

"Do it again!" Maito shouted, getting fired up again.

And so Raito did, mashing the trigger and unleashing a series of blades in rapid succession. While the towering alien machine was able to dodge somehow, several armored units in the vicinity soon found themselves tumbling down, missing limbs or cut in half.

"Damnit…" Lan hissed. "How's that thing dodging like that?"

"Good thing the blades break after hitting the first target." Hub noted with visible concern. "But this won't do."

"Careful…" Maito cautioned, warily eyeing the weapon energy gauge.

To his surprise, however, there was barely any drain.

"What…?"

He checked again, and indeed the energy reserves were holding fast.

"_I don't get it. It's barely using up any energy at all! Why did they lock it?"_

"Yeah…" Lan chimed in. "Still working out the kinks on that one. It's ridiculously powerful and barely uses any energy, but it glitches up the system if you overuse it."

The X-1 tried to dodge another swing, but then the alien shifted into a thrust, hitting the blue robot's right knee. A human being would likely have suffered from a broken kneecap if struck in such a manner, but thankfully the robot was far sturdier.

"And before you ask." Hub added. "We can't reuse the blades since they're flash forged and break after one hit."

"Why can't we just get a sword or something then?" Maito asked, letting out a burst of shots from the left arm Buster while charging the right one.

"We're working on something…" Lan said. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"_A pity we can't just adapt the old sword battle chips for the X-1…"_ Lan thought. _"But this will be the next best thing."_

As another Metal Blade spun through the air, the alien tried to parry with the machine's staff… only for the blade to slice it clean in half before breaking. The alien froze in place, as if struggling to process what had just happened.

Raito tried to follow up with an additional blade, but the display flashed red and an error message appeared.

"Guess you did warn us." he conceded.

"You…" Belphes hissed, finally breaking out of his stupor a moment later, clutching both pieces of the staff. "You have defiled a priceless artifact!"

Though they couldn't see his face, his unadulterated rage still somehow made it through the translator. The alien machine's eyes lit up and from its mouth a torrent of flames spewed forth.

"It's a weapon, jerk." Raito retorted, rolling the X-1 out of the way. "If you didn't want it cut in half, then you shouldn't have brought it here. In fact, you shouldn't have come anywhere near this planet!"

Elsewhere...

As another Skyranger's turbines shifted to landing position and descended on the tarmac, the four people in the passenger hold peered through the side windows, gazing upon what appeared to be an old seaside air force base. Three men, clad in the distinctive X-COM piloting suit and one woman, wearing a white labcoat.

"So this is the place…" Lalah said as she took in the view.

"Right." Captain Devon said. "The Far East region HQ… Kiryu-Kai."

"Where is everyone though?" Amuro wondered.

"There was another attack while we were in transit." the Captain explained somberly. "Four cities in the region were hit, so the only people here right now are base security, tactical command and noncombat staff."

"In that case…" Casval realized.

"Yes, you should probably be on your way soon." the Captain said. "I would have joined you but I left the Sentinel at HQ."

With that, he glanced at the Skyranger and then back at them. Behind them, a crane set about unloading two enormous metal crates from the craft's cargo hold, tightly locked.

"I won't take much more of your time." the Captain added. "Let me just say something before I go. I don't know what kind of plans the Commander has for you two, but it's been a pleasure working with you, gentlemen. Do try to stay in one piece out there."

"Likewise, Sir." Casval said.

"We've learned a lot from our time together." Amuro added.

"I'm glad I could be of use, but at this point I'd just be holding you back." the Captain said. "You two are going to accomplish great things. Don't get yourselves blown up out there."

The Captain turned, as if getting ready to leave, then looked at the two men.

"There was… another reason why I accompanied you." he said with the hint of a smile, before lifting the black briefcase in his hand and opening it in front of them.

Inside there were two strange devices – one red and one white – resembling digital watches with large displays. A large paper envelope was resting underneath them.

"I'm not sure I follow…" the Master Sergeant said.

"It is quite simple, gentlemen…" the Captain said, before reaching for the envelope. "I have received a very specific set of instructions."

He then cleared his throat.

"For valor, leadership skills and dedication to combating this alien menace, the Commander has deemed you fit for promotion effective immediately."

He then reached into the envelope and produced two rank insignias, one for Lieutenant and one for Captain.

"Congratulations, Captain Casval Deikun and Lieutenant Amuro Ray."

"Oh my…" Lalah said with a smile.

"The Kiryu-Kai fighting contingent is being reorganized, so I expect some soldiers will be assigned to your command soon." the Captain continued as he handed the two their new rank insignias. "In the meantime, to go along with your promotions, the Commander and the Major have prepared a gift for you."

"I think I see where this is going…" the newly minted Lieutenant said, accepting his insignia with quiet dignity as he tried to hide his anticipation.

"I take it this has something to do with those two crates in the Skyranger's cargo hold…" the freshly promoted Captain deduced, just as the crane finished setting the second of the aforementioned crates on the tarmac between them and the Skyranger.

"Quite." Captain Devon said, raising his left fist and showing a similar watch, only black, on his wrist.

"Are these voice activated too then?" Amuro asked, with an awkward smirk.

"Afraid so." Captain Devon confirmed with a sigh, taking the white watch and strapping it to Amuro's left wrist. "The Major has a strange sense of humor."

"May I?" Lalah asked. Captain Devon nodded and she took the red watch and strapped it to Casval's left wrist.

The men shook hands, and then the Captain turned around and stepped into the Skyranger. As the turbines came to life, kicking up gusts of wind on the tarmac, the two soldiers watched on, until it took off and disappeared into the horizon.

"Well then..." Amuro said. "Time to take a look at our new home."

"What do you think so far, Lalah?" Casval asked.

"I missed the ocean." she said with a smile. "I think I'm going to like this place."

Then the two men's earpieces buzzed, signaling an incoming call.

"Congratulations, gentlemen." Asaru's voice chimed in. "As eager as you may be to get acquainted with your new base of operations though, I must inform you that the Robot Masters are engaging an alien force not far from your location."

"Understood." Amuro said. "We'll be on our way in a moment."

"I still think the Major's practical jokes are not very practical…" Casval mused.

"But you can't argue with the results of his work." Amuro added with a nod.

"Well then…" Casval said with a smirk.

"Shall we?" Amuro added with an identical expression as the two glanced at the large metal crates.

Seized by the mood of the moment, the two men struck suitably dramatic poses standing side by side.

"CALL! GESPENST!"

With a rumble, a pair of brand new Gespenst units, one red and one white, burst out of the crates, landing in front of them.

"Comet and Meteor…" Amuro read the nameplates below the X-COM insignia on the machines' chests.

"Guess we're stuck with the names." Casval remarked with a shrug. "Might as well live up to them."

"This is definitely beyond the stuff I imagined we were signing up for." Amuro remarked, glancing at his old friend. "All you're missing now is a scarf and a motorcycle."

"I'm more of a Spider-Man fan myself." Casval retorted with a shrug.

"And?" Amuro insisted. "It's not that far off."

"When did Spider-Man have either of those things?" Lalah wondered. "Or a giant robot?"

"When we get back, we'll have to show you a thing or two." Amuro said with a chuckle.

Meanwhile, at the base in the Black Forest...

"Are you sure about this, Asaru?" Gilliam asked, standing in the Commander's office.

"You said it yourself." Asaru replied, glancing away from the large monitors on his desk to look at the Major. "Whatever they may be in other Earths, whatever they may have done there, they are not the exact same people. Still, their talents are undeniable."

"I suppose that's one thing that never changes in any of their iterations..." Gilliam mused.

"There's something else too..." Asaru said, bringing up three personnel roster files on one of the monitors.

"Oh?"

"Considering everything you told me about them… I did some tests before they shipped out." Asaru said with a pensive expression, pointing at the monitor where the roster files were on display. "All three of them… are positive."

"For psionic potential, you mean?" Gilliam asked, circling around the desk to take a look.

"Yes." Asaru said with a nod. "In fact, I think they may have been aware of my earlier intervention to some degree. It's a good thing I have other testing methods that don't involve resonance."

"I thought you'd be happier." Gilliam noted.

"This is a box I am reluctant to open again..." Asaru said somberly. "Suppose we start going around unlocking the psionic potential of our soldiers and win this war. What happens after we have moved on?"

"By the look of it though, it seems that someone is already ahead of us." Gilliam pointed out.

"Yes… that unidentified person in the flying suit of power armor." Asaru said with a nod, pulling up battlefield footage of the unit in question on another screen. "And this raises all kinds of concerns."

Asaru abruptly stood up and started pacing around the office in a rare display of anxiety.

"I am not going around fighting the Ethereals and their minions… or other threats… just so humanity can destroy itself once my back is turned."

Gilliam pensively watched the display a while longer, checking troop deployment readouts and real time battle reports until Asaru finally stopped pacing and stopped next to the chair, letting out a sigh.

"On occasion, I returned to some Earths I had fought for in the past…" Asaru elaborated, leaning against the desk and resting his open hands on the surface. "Only to find them in ruins or in the process of tearing themselves apart. Psionics, gene mods, the first MECs and their human augmentation cybernetics, MELD, plasma weapons and all the other technologies… being abused by the foolish and the short-sighted. Turned by humanity against itself."

"That… is another concern for me as well." Gilliam admitted with a guilty expression. "In the past, I was far more reckless… and did much I'm not proud of."

"We'll just have to make sure that those two… and everyone else… are prepared to handle what we leave behind." Asaru said, finally settling back down on his chair.

"Right." Gilliam added. "After all… we are intruders here. The least we can do is not leave a mess."

Back on the battlefield…

"You… worthless… machine!" the alien snarled. "You filthy…"

"All that because we broke your fancy stick?" Maito spat, incensed by the exaggerated reaction. "What about all the people you and your buddies killed since you came in?"

"Yeah! What about them?!" Raito added, sweeping the X-1's right arm around for emphasis. "Ever thought of them, monster?!"

From the severed shaft of the staff in the alien machine's right hand, a beam of orange-red energy erupted, like a spear of fire. The alien brought it down in a diagonal swing and the X-1 barely avoided getting its left leg hit. Then, before they could dodge again, the alien brought it back up in a rising swipe.

Maria gasped as the X-1's left arm was sliced clean off right above the elbow, the Titanium X alloy unable to block the strange energy.

"Pathetic." the alien spat. "In the end, you are nothing more than machines and primitives."

The X-1 charged forward but the alien raised the weapon and impaled it through the abdomen.

"I suppose this is all you will ever amount to." the alien sneered.

From his perch, X tensed up.

"Ultimate-" he muttered to himself, before being abruptly interrupted by a bellowing through the X-1's external loudspeakers.

"UP YOURS!" Raito shouted, letting out a Storm Tornado at near point blank range and jerking the weapon free from its wielder's grasp. As it slipped away, the energy shaft dissipated and the boys seized the opportunity to jump back.

"You guys take care of the tin cans!" Raito shouted.

"This asshole is ours!" Maito added.

The boys' minds were filled with thoughts of their world, their family, the people they shared their lives with. Something deep and primal welled up within them, burning in their chests. Once again they slipped into a trance-like state, their minds synchronizing and their minds becoming clear. A nearly imperceptible white sheen bloomed across the surface of the blue robot as they charged their foe, raising the X-1's right fist.

"What the…" Shingo muttered, wondering if he was seeing things. His sister's facial expression on the monitors told him he wasn't the only one seeing it, however.

"_What…?"_ Aya thought, watching the X-1.

The Guts Brothers, however, had a different reaction, nodding amongst themselves.

"_No doubt about it." _Dex thought.

"_Just like twenty years ago…"_ GutsMan realized.

"_Wreck his face!"_ Chisao thought.

"Here we go!" the boys shouted in unison, not fully understanding what was happening to them, but acting on instinct, seizing the moment.

The X-1's fist was engulfed in radiance and the alien found himself unable to avert his gaze or do much of anything else. The impact, straight to the faceplate, knocked the larger machine off its feet and sent shockwaves throughout its body. Belphes momentarily blacked out, and then found his robot lying sideways on the ground, with warning lights flashing on half the displays.

"Inconceivable…" Belphes hissed, his shock managing to seep even through the translator. "That a Machine Soul would… No, I refuse to believe it!"

"What the hell are you going on about now?" Raito asked, as the light faded out again like it had the first time.

The blow seemed to have been the last straw, and the alien machine looked like it was on the verge of falling apart. Its exposed internals sparked furiously and something felt distinctly wrong as it wobbled, unable to get back on its feet.

"Not gonna run away like last time?" Raito taunted as thick black smoke started billowing out.

The alien did not reply. His machine's limbs started twitching as if in the throes of a seizure and a hideous rumble started echoing from inside the structure, suggesting that whatever power source it used was about to reach a critical state.

"The hell is that fool doin'?" Dex wondered.

"Dunno, but if he just sits there he's gonna get blown up with the rest of his toy." GutsMan remarked.

"We're not butchers like them!" Chisao said in alarm. "We can't just..."

Biting down a curse word, Dex steered the Guts Machine closer in a full sprint.

"Wait!" Shingo called out. "What are you doing?!"

"It's one thing to take a life in battle." Chisao said.

"But watchin' them just sit there and fry…" GutsMan added. "That ain't right."

"We're not gonna shame our Master's name like that!" Dex declared in. "Stand back kids!"

Again moving with surprising speed despite its bulk, the Guts Machine crossed the distance. From what they had seen so far, they deduced that the alien machine's cockpit was located in its head, and rather than attempting to talk some sense into the stubborn alien, instead they proceeded to reach for the increasingly unstable robot's neck.

"What are you fools doing?!" Belphes hissed, torn between confusion and defiance.

"Maybe should leave your punk ass to fry after all the shit you and your buddies pulled…" GutsMan growled.

Under the Guts Machine's crushing grip, the alien metal groaned in protest and slowly began to give way.

"But we don't roll like that." Chisao added. "So shut up and sit down. Like it or not, you're going to live to answer for your actions."

The metal continued to groan and portions of the neck plating caved in.

That retort left the alien even further dumbfounded… at least for a brief moment. Finally gathering his wits, he snarled at them.

"You will not disgrace me further this day!" he bellowed, seemingly on the verge of an apoplexy. "But mark my words! This is not over!"

With that, a concealed hatch opened at the top of the head and the cockpit detached itself from the rest of the robot, darting skyward in the flare of its thrusters. Its flight was cut short, however, as some sort of internal component burst with a loud pop and it started veering out of control.

In the ground, the remote control armored units began to shift, moving erratically.

"So much for your word, coward!" Aya spat.

"I don't think he did it." Maria said, shaking her head as the escape pod looped around erratically. "Not on purpose."

"What are you talking about?" Aya asked.

"Look." Maria pointed out, right before the escape pod, still flying as if steered by a drunkard, continued on its merry way over the horizon. "That thing is completely messed up. I think something important just got fried."

"That doesn't matter now." Shingo intervened. "Whether the bastard meant it or not, now we have to stop those things."

The chime of an incoming transmission suddenly echoed through the Guts Machine's cockpit.

"Huh? Who's callin' at a time like this?" Dex wondered.

Chisao answered and Ms. Yumi's face appeared on the main screen, her expression far more serious than they had ever seen.

"Is something wrong?" Chisao asked, his mind already racing. "Don't tell me the lab is under attack again."

"Not exactly." she said, a far cry from the easily startled young woman they had met before. "But since we figured the aliens might try other dirty tricks, I made some improvements to the Guts Machine I didn't have time to mention before you left."

"Such as?" Chisao asked, a little surprised by the change in her demeanor.

"Well…" she said, an excited grin creeping into her face. "Since you liked the Rocket Punch so much… I added a little extra something."

"You did?" Chisao asked, caught off guard. "But I thought…"

"You thought the Professors had put everything together by themselves?" she deduced. "My friends, there are things they haven't told even you."

"_And a few I'm still not sure how I'm going to tell any of them..."_

"Whaddya mean?" Dex chimed in, just as surprised.

"I mean Tron and I aren't around just to look pretty." she said, looking a little smug. "Now then, how about you take a closer look at the weapon controls and tell me what you think?"

"Its name is…" Dex muttered as he looked at the readouts and a new subsystem came to life.

"Looks like the lil' miss has a few surprises up her sleeve." GutsMan said appreciatively before turning to her face on the screen. "Guess we'll have to keep an eye on you."

"Well then…" Chisao added. "Since you two are always stealing the spotlight and I was too young to join your shenanigans back in the day…"

Chisao clutched the controls, wide-eyed and grinning like a madman.

"This one's mine!"

Dex let out a chuckle in response.

"Knock yourself out lil' bro!" he said, before slapping Chisao's back.

The youngest of the Guts Brothers did just that. With the instincts of a trained martial artist, he did not even bother taking aim, instead simply raising the Guts Machine's right arm in a swift motion. As the left hand gripped the wrist, the fist detached once again, but instead of simply bursting forth like it had done so many times before, it instead sprouted a pair of razor sharp blades from the sides.

Much like he had seen one of his childhood idols do on the screen, and then his brother emulate on the cockpit, Chisao filled his lungs and roared at the top of his voice.

"IRON CUTTER!"

And with that, the fist burst through the head of an armored unit, destroying the processor inside and bringing it to a halt.

"_Look at them go…" _Ms. Yumi thought with a smile. _"I don't know if you'll ever get to meet them, but… I'm sure you'd be proud if you could see them now."_

Without breaking stride, the Guts Machine tackled another target, physically lifting it and then slamming it into the ground head first.

"You know, there's one thing I never got." Shingo pointed out as he unloaded a barrage of Drill Missiles at three other armored units. "It's a cutter, but it punches holes? You know, like a drill?"

"Don't overthink it." Maria chimed in, taking aim at the head of two other units while using two of her doppelgangers to keep another two in check.

Without a handler directing them, the armored units were considerably less effective. Still, the group knew it was only a matter of time until someone got hurt by their incoherent flailing.

"FINALLY!" Fairy shouted in frustration, driving the Great Leviathan's trident through the head of the nearest foe.

"Those calculations took much longer than expected." Sage added as the Great Harpuia darted past one of the armored units and severed its head with a swipe of its wrist mounted energy blades.

"No room for errors…" Fairy said, dialing up the output on her machine's reactor.

"No time for hesitation!" Sage added, still picking up speed.

"Whatever you're gonna do, I suggest you do it now!" Chisao shouted in alarm, blowing off the head of another armored unit with a Hadouken right before it could collide with a large shopping mall.

"T-minus five." Sage announced as his machine blitzed through the air and started spinning.

Fairy nodded in acknowledgment and overloaded her machine's freeze ray generators. Warning messages started appearing on the displays and a layer of frost began to form over the machine's surface, but she held the charge just a fraction of the moment longer before unleashing it all in a single burst, directed at the Great Harpuia.

"_What are they doing?!"_ Aya thought in alarm, in the process of firing a Spark Shock from each of her machine's hands.

To her surprise, the gale force winds around the Great Harpuia somehow gathered the freezing energy… and then unleashed it in a spiraling assault, swift as lightning. Faster than human eyes could follow, the green machine darted across the battlefield, engulfed in icy winds, striking as many of the armored units as it could. In its wake, a good portion of them soon had their legs encased in ice, effectively shackling them to the pavement.

The others did not waste any time, turning their attention to the enemies that were still loose. Between the Robot Masters' arsenal and the Variable Weapons System coming back online, the battle was over in a few minutes of all-out violence against the mindless machines.

With the freezing energy charge fully spent, the Great Harpuia landed next to its sister unit, which was still covered in a layer of frost but had managed to land a few more hits, taking down three units with its bladed trident in the interim.

"You OK in there?" Sage asked.

"Nothing a hot bath won't fix…" Fairy replied, trying to stay focused on finishing the task at hand.

A few more minutes later, after the battle was over, a pair of forms flew into view, one crimson and one white.

"Is that…?" Aya wondered.

"More aliens?" Shingo muttered. "No… Those are…"

"Gespenst?" Raito hesitantly muttered. "When did they start making more?"

"It appears we're late for the festivities." a familiar voice remarked, coming from the crimson machine.

"Join the club." Sage remarked rather dryly, still vexed at his own lateness.

"_It's them…"_ Ms. Yumi realized, watching wide-eyed from the lab. _"It's really them… Gilliam wasn't kidding…"_

"Are you OK?" Lan interrupted, derailing her train of thought. "You look a bit pale. Do you need some rest?"

"I-I'm fine…" she stuttered, once again baffled by how perceptive he could be about some things, yet so completely oblivious to others.

"_You've got bigger things to worry about, Professor…" _she thought, shaking her head. _"Between the aliens, Tron's little teenage crush and… those two…"_

"Well then…" Amuro said. "Since there's nothing left for us to do here and the cleanup crews will arrive soon… We might as well escort you back to the lab."

"True." Casval added. "After all, we've just been stationed in the region to work alongside the Robot Masters. Or are you already thinking about trading the Gespenst in for a custom machine from Dr. Hikari?"

"I think I'll pass." Amuro retorted. "This thing fits like a glove. Feels like the Major made it just for me."

Later, back in Lan's office…

"It may not be as big as the Guts Machine or as flashy as Thunder and Gemini but…" Maito noted.

"The X-1 is a beast!" Raito shouted excitedly. "It got pretty beat up, but it's the best Super Robot a boy could ask for."

"But what happened back there?" Maito wondered, recalling the stories he had heard about his father and uncle's earlier exploits. "I don't remember Full Synchro being this… explosive."

"You misunderstand." Lan said, glancing at his brother.

"This was never just about the robots." Hub added with a nod, before abruptly shutting the door. "In fact, unlocking too many of the X-1's weapons would hold you back at this point."

"Hold us back?" Raito asked. "What do you mean?"

Lan brought opened a file on the computer and put it on display on the entire screen.

"This has always been about the pilots. About all of you... all of us."

"While the robots are impressive, modesty aside…" Hub continued. "The true core of what we're trying to do here is this."

"Uh, what exactly are we looking at?" Raito asked.

The image looked like some sort of elaborate electronic circuitry, but the design was completely different from anything either of the boys had ever seen.

"Something we designed, assembled, tested and refined after gaining an understanding of the power sleeping in us all." Lan said. "We call this… the Radiant Circuit."

"The… Radiant Circuit?" Raito repeated.

"Yes." Hub said. "Something designed to channel and amplify a power we're already somewhat familiar with."

To the nearly identical cousins' surprise, Lan's hand started glowing with a bright white light, much like the one they had so recently manifested for the second time.

"What the…" Raito muttered.

Then Hub did the same thing, showing an identical radiance.

"We first became aware of these abilities in the Cyberworld a long time ago..." Hub explained. "You could say it's because the Cyberworld is a place where it's easier to bring out your true self. Where you can do things that would be ludicrous out here if your willpower is strong enough."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"Especially if you were to be using something called the Pulse Transmission System, which projects a human's consciousness directly into the Cyberworld. But we're not doing that here."

"With enough time and practice, you could learn to use these abilities on your own..." Lan explained further. "But we don't have that kind of time. So the Radiant Circuit gives you the extra push to help you break through. To push your machines beyond their limits by infusing them with your own power."

"The applications are definitely fascinating." another voice intervened.

The bespectacled professor stepped into view, but the door was still firmly closed.

"Who's this?" Maito asked.

"A cousin of ours." Lan said. "Xavier Light."

"I came a long way to help with the Robot Masters project." X explained. "The Titanium X is still a work in progress, but this line of research is just as important, if not more."

"I'm glad to finally meet you as well." he added, turning to Maito. "I got to speak to Patch in person the last time I visited the laboratory but… we were interrupted by some complications."

"Damn aliens playing dirty..." Raito grumbled. "Anyway, who was that guy on the roof yelling something about a… Super Robot X?"

"You heard that, huh?" X asked.

"Half the city probably heard him." Raito scoffed.

"_Damnit Axl..."_ X thought, rolling his eyes.

"Anyway…" Lan added, changing the subject. "Today you got to learn a few more things about the X-1 and what it can do. But don't let its vast arsenal distract you from what really matters."

"Right." Hub chimed in. "You're going to need a lot of practice so you can learn to use the right weapon in the right situation… and when to rely on other things."

Two hours later…

"Your next appointment is here to see you, Dr. Hikari." the secretary informed through the intercom.

"Very well." Lan said. "Let them in."

The office door opened and a rather striking figure stepped inside.

"So you're the rascal who stole my cousin's heart." the woman said with an almost catlike smile.

Her long light brown hair hovered around her head like a flaming mane and her piercing green eyes, surrounded by just the tiniest bit of freckles, stared at Lan intently. While her hair might not be pink, there was definitely something in her features that Lan recognized, reminding him of his wife.

She was wearing a pink dress with white highlights and collar, over a white shirt with a small triangular window right above the chest, a pair of loose fitting trousers in the same pattern and flat pink shoes. A pair of diamond shaped earrings, also pink were hanging from her ears and a strange golden insignia, shaped like a wide X, was pinned to the left side of her coat over the chest.

"And you are?" he asked, definitely seeing the resemblance.

"I'm your contact from VTX." she said with confident poise. "Sagiri Sakurai. Didn't they tell you I was coming?"

"They said someone was coming." Lan explained. "Not who exactly."

"Damnit woman!" a man's voice interrupted, sounding annoyed.

Both of them turned to see a man step into the room, wearing a gray coat with white highlights and slim golden padding over the shoulders, a dark blue shirt, a red necktie, a set of matching trousers, and shoes, along with an identical insignia on the left side of his coat. There was a wild look about him, with unruly brown hair and eyes, with an intensity few men could boast. For some reason, the mental image of a werewolf in a business suit came into Lan's mind.

"Always running off on your own." he scolded.

"Gotta keep you on your toes." she retorted with a rather smug, almost catlike grin.

"And you are?" Lan asked.

"Saizo Tokito." the man said. "The one saddled with the fate of keeping this woman in one piece."

"Anyone dealing with a Sakurai girl definitely needs to be on their toes." Lan remarked with an earnest smile. "But so you're Reinhardt Harkonnen's assistants?"

"We work under his aegis, yes." Saizo confirmed.

"Maybe you can answer something for me then." Lan said. "If I remember, Reinhardt hated anything connected to the weapons industry. How did he end up cranking out Gespenst units for X-COM?"

"We don't know the whole story, but the President knows that sometimes you have to make some hard choices." Saizo said.

"After all, I'm guessing putting those kids in your Robot Master machines wasn't what you had in mind for them." Sagiri added with a frown.

"Yeah…" Lan conceded with a nod. "But in my case… I realized I didn't have an alternative."

"President Harkonnen heard the warnings, much like you did." Saizo explained. "Eventually he discovered the existence of X-COM… or rather was approached by Major Yeager."

"I see…" Lan said. "But how does it all tie together?"

"A few years ago, VTX was on the verge of bankruptcy." Sagiri elaborated, her expression visibly souring. "Our former President was… well, he was an idiot. Big shot former soldier going through a midlife crisis. Pulling all kinds of stupid stunts. The potential lawsuits from HR complaints would have been enough on their own to get the company in trouble."

"He was a good man once." Saizo added somberly. "An example. But he clearly lost his mind."

"So what happened?" Lan asked.

"Reinhardt Harkonnen happened." Saizo said. "He bought out the company when it was at rock bottom and turned it around. Then a year ago he shifted production to a special project. As it turns out, that special project was the Gespenst line."

"Of course all this stuff about X-COM and the Gespenst is strictly confidential." Sagiri added. "But since the Commander brought you into the fold and you have mutual acquaintances…"

"Don't worry." Lan said, smiling openly. "I may be thick as a bank vault door, but I know how to be discreet."

"Good." Sagiri said. "Now then, since we're in town, I think it's only proper to pay my cousin a visit. I wonder if she still remembers me."


	15. Two Princes and a Valkyrie

Chapter 15 – Two Princes and a Valkyrie

In an alien command ship in orbit around Mars…

"This…" an alien officer in a richly tailored beige uniform hissed.

"IS USELESS!" he bellowed, sweeping his arm around the chamber.

The room was laden from floor to ceiling with countless plundered items. Books of various faiths in countless languages, both recent prints and richly bound older hardcovers editions, statues, prayer beads, holy symbols, incense burners and various iconography. In the back of the chamber a pile of communion wafer holders of various shapes and sizes were lying on the floor, their contents carelessly discarded on the floor. Someone had even painstakingly pried out a set of stained glass windows and set them on metal frames, laying them out against the walls.

"Useless trinkets, with no power of their own…" the alien hissed in disdain, his orange eyes twitching. "Is this what we came all the way here for?"

"Remember the ancient texts." a female in flowing garments said. The silvery fabric shimmered under the indoor lighting with her every move. "If such power could be so easily confined to material items, then we would not be in our current predicament."

"And yet the natives have not shown the faintest spark." the male countered. "You know what's at stake here. If we've come all this way for nothing…"

"Our path has led us here for a reason." the female said resolutely. "The currents shift and the end is never clear, but..."

"The natives are putting up a surprising amount of resistance, all things considered…" a younger male aide chimed in, clad in a green uniform.

"That fool Anthur and his lapdog Belphes are just wasting our resources by throwing them around so carelessly." the beige clad officer groaned. "I'll admit they're good at making nuisances of themselves, but entrusting them with the Penal Regiment was a mistake."

The female turned her jet-black eyes towards him and frowned.

"We have our orders." she said flatly.

"For the Emperor." the alien in the beige uniform said with grim determination.

"Sir…" the aide chimed in. "The main fleet has been delayed again. The Third Assault Fleet is still in transit and should arrive soon, but… there were complications."

"What sort of complications?" the alien in the beige uniform asked.

"A warp drive malfunction dropped the convoy in the middle of an asteroid field." the aide explained with a sigh. "They're still tallying the damage, but a good portion of the escort wing was lost."

"This whole expedition has turned out to be a complete waste of time so far…" the officer in beige lamented, looking completely exhausted. "With each failure, our people edge closer to disaster."

"Do you doubt the Emperor's wisdom?" the female asked, tilting her head.

"I live and die by the Emperor's will." the officer retorted, sounding offended. "Duty demands no less. But I cannot understand…"

"Then understand this." the female said evenly. "Should we fail here… we may not have the strength left to continue. Our choice of methods may not have been the most appropriate, but… none must stand in the way of salvation."

"At least…" the officer pondered. "If the Astyllia makes it intact… maybe we can turn this around with a proper display of force. Before the High Priestess decides to take matters into her own hands and purge the Machine Souls along with the rest of the planet."

He then turned his head to the aide.

"Leave us, Zuuran."

The aide balled up his right fist, bumping it against his chest, then stepped back through the door, still facing them. As the door closed, the officer turned his attention back to the female.

"Perhaps you and I were born in the wrong age…" he lamented, his exhaustion compounded by sorrow. "What if we truly are the last, chasing myths in a futile attempt to regain our bygone glory?"

"Then at least the Emperor and the Divinities have seen fit to grant us one last kindness…" she said, placing both hands on his thin cheeks. "A gift of time before all this unravels. But don't lose faith just yet."

"I suppose… we must stay the course…" he muttered before turning his attention to the pile of pilfered paraphernalia. "But what are we going to do with these now?"

"Powerless or not, they are still objects of devotion." the female noted. "Faith is a powerful thing."

"We should probably lock all of these in a safe place." the male pondered. "Otherwise there's a good chance they will just… disappear. Or that fool Anthur might just throw them out an airlock out of spite."

"Yes…" the female reasoned. "Belphes may have some respect for relics, but Anthur is a spiteful little shyall."

"Speaking of which… Do we know what happened to Belphes?"

"That Machine Soul utterly destroyed the Belkathis." she said with a pensive frown. "Belphes managed to eject, but we don't know if he survived. He hasn't made contact since."

"Just what was he thinking?" the male wondered. "Slaving an entire armored division to his machine and forcing a one on one duel? What was he trying to prove?"

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Hikari Laboratory...

"I can't say I approve." Ms. Yumi said in hushed tones, hiding in a storeroom and using her armor's built-in communicator. "You're tempting fate by putting those two in Gespenst cockpits."

"I understand your concern, Lisa." Gilliam said. "But remember, even if they have the same names and faces, these are not the men you know… or the ones I knew. Judging them by what their alternate selves did is not only unfair but counterproductive. If you're serious about seeing things through with the Robot Masters, then you realize they need all the help they can get."

"I know." she conceded. "I just hope you're not making a terrible mistake."

* * *

In another section of the lab, Lan had just finished showing Sagiri and Saizo around the place. After stepping through a hangar door, he paused for a moment and checked the time on his PET.

"I should probably be heading home soon." he said. "Mayl and Roll should already be there, so if you want to catch up…"

"Sounds like a lovely idea." Sagiri said with a smile. "We'll have to make some calls to the President and the local VTX branch, but those can wait until tomorrow."

With that, Lan led them down the hallway, and they continued their conversation.

"Since we're already supplying X-COM with machines and replacement parts, it shouldn't be too difficult to procure anything you may need." Saizo added. "And before you ask, President Harkonnen gave us specific instructions."

"Meaning?" Lan asked.

"Any parts or components you need to get through VTX…" Sagiri explained. "The President is covering those out of pocket."

"What?" Lan asked. "Why?"

"Because he believes in what you're doing." Saizo said. "And because even if it goes against my work ethics, profit isn't our main motivation here."

"But how is VTX going to stay afloat?" Lan asked.

"The consumer goods divisions and the military contracts will see to that." Sagiri reassured. "The Gespenst is an X-COM exclusive, but the MEC-1 units are about to be phased out and replaced with the MEC-2 upgraded frames thanks to some exotic materials provided by your friends in Neo Atlantis."

"Asaru did mention a thing or two about needing a suitable power source." Lan recalled. "So you know about those?"

"Our section was briefed on those exotic materials, yes." Saizo confirmed. "The President is dealing with X-COM personally but he passed some details along. We haven't actually met the Commander in person yet though."

"We're not privy to their budget, but once you get to a certain point material shortages can hit you harder than lack of funds." Sagiri noted. "Some things just aren't for sale."

"I can't even begin to imagine how much it would cost to keep something like X-COM operating." Lan mused as the three stepped into an elevator. "Between the bases, the staff, the robots and their weapons… and on top of that the fighter jets and the Skyrangers."

"Which is why we've agreed to start producing MEC-1 units for national military forces and providing some basic training." Saizo said. "Strictly for the purpose of fighting the alien invasion. This should take some of the pressure off X-COM and the Robot Masters."

"With VTX acting as the front, we can keep X-COM relatively low profile and help offset their operating costs." Sagiri added.

"Sounds like a tidy arrangement." Lan said with a nod. "But what happens to all this technology once the aliens are driven out?"

"President Harkonnen and Major Yeager have some sort of plan for that." Sagiri said. "We don't know all the details yet. I believe some of the contract clauses forbid the use of MECs against humans outside emergency situations. Anyone breaking those terms would pay huge fines and have the agreement terminated."

"I guess there's an upside to having so many lawyers on call." Lan quipped.

"_Speaking of which, where did Yai's vampire go? Tanaka, was it?"_

In the building's cafeteria, sitting at a table with a plate of steamed vegetables and steak in front of him, the lawyer in question interrupted his task of crunching numbers in a calculator app on his PET and sneezed.

"I admit, there's a silver lining in this whole thing." Lan said as they continued out from the elevator and towards the lobby. "I've got the chance to test all these crazy ideas that I wouldn't be able to otherwise. But I really don't want this stuff to fall into the wrong hands."

"And before you ask, your friends' little secret is safe." Saizo added. "Only hardware meant for X-COM will use the power source they provided."

"We did go over that subject during our meeting with Asaru." Lan recalled. "The world isn't ready for something like orichalcum to become public knowledge. Not as it is now."

"The Union, Federation and Coalition are cooperating closer than ever nowadays, but we don't know what's going to happen once this is over." Sagiri pondered. "A lot of people have been pushing for a global government body but the Dissolution is still fresh in the world's memory. Things could still go either way."

While new supranational bodies had eventually risen to replace the ones set up by the Reordering and dismantled in the wake of the Sigma Uprising, several nations were still fiercely protective of their independence, especially in Southeast Asia and Africa. The state of the world was still in flux and despite Laika's assertion that the leaders of the blocs would still go out drinking together after posturing for the cameras, there were still far too many variables. Even the most seasoned political analysts and historians were struggling to predict what might happen next.

Before leaving the lobby, Lan went through a mental checklist.

"_Keys… here. PET… here. Brain… mostly here."_

Satisfied, he kept walking, before a thought crossed his mind.

"I can't help wondering if Reinhardt was planning to team up with us from the start and just put that on hold because of X-COM. After all, some of the components we use here came from him."

"It's entirely possible." Sagiri said.

"And would you happen to have any contacts in the western hemisphere?" Lan asked. "A certain island, maybe?"

"Not in Neo Atlantis. Yet." Saizo said. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know if you've met Cadmus Atreides, but those two are old friends. When they were younger, Reinhardt took over the family business and steered them away from weapon production completely. We were all pretty confused to hear about this sudden turn."

"We've never met the man, but President Harkonnen did mention him in passing." Sagiri said. "Those Pantheon units… did he design them himself?"

"You'll have to ask him about that." Lan said. "Personally, I still think the whole cyclops design feels a bit creepy."

"Not exactly the best for PR, no." Sagiri conceded. "But their performance is pretty good for mass production models."

"I couldn't help noticing a certain… resemblance to the X-1." Saizo chimed in.

"Yes, they use the same basic frame." Lan confirmed. "But they went for numbers, trying to create a versatile army of high quality units. We went for a one-of-a-kind machine as part of a small team."

"The former President…" Sagiri recalled, her expression briefly souring again. "He had some ideas for mobile weapons like those. Probably another part of his midlife crisis. But they were shoddy deathtraps, to put it mildly. Saizo here totaled about ten on his own in testing."

"They were deathtraps…" Lan echoed, before glancing at Saizo. "But you look like you made it out in one piece."

"I was too stubborn to let something like that do me in." Saizo bragged with a wolfish grin.

"Ten of them though?" Lan pointed out.

"It'll take more than that." Sagiri scoffed. "If you ask me, they should have tried cloning him instead of wasting money on those tin cans."

They continued their walk, past the tempered glass front doors and into the parking lot.

"Still, I was not pleased." she added with a scowl. "And I made sure to voice my displeasure to the idiot-in-chief."

"I also distinctively recall you punching him in the face at one point." Saizo pointed out, completely deadpan.

"Ah." Lan remarked with a grin. "The Sakurai genes are showing."

"Well, I did end up spending three months in the hospital for that one crash." Saizo recalled with a wince.

"Maybe I should have gone into professional boxing instead." Sagiri quipped, again flashing her catlike smile.

"Personally, I think you'd have made it just fine in MMA." Saizo pointed out, his wolfish grin returning.

"Maybe now that Ken Masters is officially retired from the pro circuit." she mused before casting a lingering glance at Saizo. "But I like my current job too much… and the people I work with."

"Life does have its unexpected turns." Saizo remarked. "A few years ago I was driving race cars."

"I thought I'd seen your face somewhere before…" Lan realized. "F-Zero, was it?"

"Until an accident cost me my contract." Saizo confirmed with a somber expression that lasted only a few instants. "But I'm happy where I am now."

Lan approached his blue car, which was strategically parked in a captive spot close to the door. He raised his PET near the door and the security system recognized the signature and unlocked it.

A few spots away, Saizo unlocked a sleek black four door model with his remote control. As Lan sat behind the wheel of his own vehicle and adjusted the seat, he peered out the window and saw the pair suddenly start a bout of rock-paper-scissors.

"Uh…" Lan muttered.

"Rock beats scissors." Saizo announced with a grin.

"Fine…" Sagiri conceded. "Your turn to drive."

Triumphantly, Saizo sat behind the wheel of the black car and strapped himself in.

"_Guess you can take the man out of the races but you can't take the races out of the man huh?"_ Lan thought with an amused smile.

As they drove through the city, Saizo definitely lived up to his former occupation, driving just under the speed limit and skillfully dodging obstacles in the way. Lan couldn't help silently wondering if the man had some sort of superhuman ability, thinking back to the old Project Unity nanites still coursing through his system after twenty years. Even after having learned their inner workings and adapted them for the Variable Weapons System, he still marveled at their ability to reconfigure matter, living or otherwise. However, he soon turned his attention to more pressing matters, such as driving.

About half an hour later, they parked outside the Hikari residence.

"Wow…" Sagiri remarked as she stepped out of the car and looked around. "This place looks even more charming than the pictures."

"Can you imagine living in a place like this?" she added, turning to Saizo.

"I didn't think you could live without the city hustle." Saizo retorted. "You'd probably be bored in two weeks."

"That's what the car and the Metroline are for." she pointed out. "Besides, don't you get tired of apartments and noisy neighbors?"

"I do, but I'm not sure you'd survive without those chocolate parfaits and all the other stuff from the cafe around the block." Saizo retorted with another wolfish grin.

"You've known me long enough to know what I can do when properly motivated." she said, again flashing her catlike smile.

Lan chuckled at their banter, definitely recognizing more familiar traits in Sagiri's expressions and body language.

"_I get__ the feeling things __are__ about to get more interesting with the__se two__ around."_

He stepped out of his car, locked it and proceeded to the front door of the house on the right.

"Honey, I'm home!" Lan announced. "You're never gonna guess who's here!"

Sitting on the living room couch, Mayl looked up from the book she was using to teach Suzu, Rini and Hikaru and her eyes lit up at the sight of him. Then she spotted the two people standing behind him and her slips parted.

"Sagiri?" she called out. "Is that you?"

"I guess that answers the question of whether you'd remember me." Sagiri said with a smile, stepping forward.

"How long has it been? Ten years?" Mayl recalled, standing up to give her a hug. "Look at you!"

"You look like you're doing well for yourself too." Sagiri remarked, returning the hug. "Living the life you've always wanted, I see."

Saizo just stood near the living room entrance, giving them some space.

"And who's that with you?" Mayl asked, noticing him. "Have you found someone too?"

"I-It's not like that." Sagiri protested, her composure suddenly broken.

"We're… just a team." Saizo added, a little taken aback himself. "A good one, but not that kind."

"_I wonder…"_ Mayl thought, amused by their coordinated response.

"We're actually in town on business but I couldn't resist dropping by." Sagiri explained. "I take it you know what the Robot Masters have been up to, considering your son and nephew are with them?"

"Of course." Mayl said. "But what does that have to do with your work?"

"VTX." Sagiri said. "X-COM's partner behind the scenes. You may have already seen some of our handiwork."

"Yeah honey." Lan added. "It looks like our purple haired friend designed the Gespenst but VTX have been the ones putting them together."

"Dad, a minute?" Raito asked, coming out from his room with Maito in tow.

Lan nodded and led the boys to his home office, locking the door behind them.

"We have questions." Raito said.

"Of course you do." Lan said with a smile. "Honestly, I'd be surprised if you didn't."

"Well then…" Maito said, grasping for words. "Just what is this power?"

"Borrowing the words of an old friend, it's like life itself." Lan said. "It's like that feeling in your chest that tells you all will be well in the end, even if the road is bumpy… and gives you the strength to make that happen."

"I don't get it…" Raito said.

"Well…" Lan said, trying to explain better. "Let me putt it this way. That feeling you get when you're around Maria…"

"Dad!" Raito protested, getting a little flustered.

"Let me finish." Lan said with a knowing smile. "Or when you're with your Mom. Imagine being filled with that to the point where the whole world fits in your heart… and you feel connected to everyone and everything. Like you could lift mountains to keep them all safe."

"What, like you're some kind of Jedi?" Raito asked with a scoff.

"No, son. Not a Jedi." Lan corrected. "Don't get me wrong, it would be pretty cool to have a lightsaber, but I can't move stuff with my mind or mess with people's heads. This power also doesn't come from the outside, but from the inside. It just helps us connect to other living things, especially those that have it too."

"So what exactly does that make us?" Raito asked.

"There are many names for people like us, here and in other places." Lan said, recalling the words of a certain Man From the Stars two decades prior. "Radiant. Suntouched. And my personal favorite… Warriors of Light."

"What, so next we're going around saving crystals or orbs or the moon?" Maito joked.

"I'd ask if you're pulling our legs right now…" Raito pondered. "But after what we've seen so far..."

"But what does that have to do with Full Synchro?" Maito asked, a little confused.

"It has everything to do with Full Synchro." Lan said. "What is Full Synchro, if not bridging the gap between yourself and another and forging an unbreakable bond? That's what this power is and what it does, when properly used."

"Does Mom know about this?" Raito asked. "Does Aunt Roll?"

"Of course they do." Lan said, still smiling. "Roll has always had a talent for healing even before she got her Copy Bot and started living with us out here. As for your Mom, she's one of the strongest and kindest people I've ever known, and few things get this power fired up like being in love or having someone to protect."

"But how did this happen?" Maito asked. "Where did all of you get that power?"

"Your Dad was the first." Lan said. "You know he was born as a human, just like me… and died in innocence before being brought back as a Navi. There's power in that kind of thing. As we grew older and found ourselves dealing with all kinds of evildoers and their ridiculous crap, we discovered the power of Full Synchro… and later all the other things that come with it."

"They say that everyone has the potential for this power, but very few actually manifest it." Lan said. "In the Cyberworld, a lot of things are possible and a lot become much easier, especially for humans, but also for Navis. That place reacts to your willpower and your true self becomes easier to bring out."

"I remember the stories." Maito pondered. "About all those ridiculous things you and Dad did. But how did Mom and Aunt Mayl…?"

"In time they learned how to bring it out too." Lan explained. "They didn't care much about fighting, but they have always been brave and kind, ready to follow us into danger. This kind of power starts coming out in full when we're tested, when we face danger for the sake of others."

"So that's what happened…" Raito realized. "That's what Mom did when I hurt my back…"

"They got much stronger at it after you two were born." Lan noted. "Call me old-fashioned if you want… or sappy… but having something to care about more than life itself doesn't just make you stronger… It's one hell of a high too."

"But wait…" Maito pondered. "That Radiant Circuit… It's not just in the X-1, is it? That means…"

"Exactly what you're thinking." Lan said with a smile, proud of his oldest nephew's sharp mind. "We didn't stay quiet before just to be jerks about it. It was because some things need to be experienced. They can't be simply explained. That and if you were told too much too soon, you could start getting frustrated when others grow at a different pace… or reckless."

"What about Alex?" Raito asked. "That Judgement Buster as he called it…"

"Yes, he has it too." Lan confirmed. "The Leonarch works as an amplifier, much like the Radiant Circuit. In fact, we based some of the designs on it. But Alex has always had a natural talent for it."

"Wait…" Raito recalled. "I thought that thing was impossible to analyze."

"With tools and machines, yes." Lan explained. "But since it has a connection with this power, there are other ways. Not having any uncooperative ghosts in the machine also helped."

"And what about… the Apotheosis?" Maito asked.

"That thing is a mystery even to us." Lan said with a frown. "Cadmus and Ciel found it buried in a cave under the island many years ago and asked us to help examine it. It refuses to be studied, like it's resisting our instruments… and while its light is similar to ours in some ways, it feels… wrong."

"You mean angry?" Raito noted, recalling the sensation of being in its presence. "I guess that explains why that thing gives everyone the creeps. But what about Atreus?"

"I don't know." Lan said. "He never showed any special abilities before this whole thing started… but just like his father was at that age, he's still a bit lost. Still missing something."

"He did mention that." Raito recalled. "Hiking across the whole island countless times because he felt restless and couldn't tell why. Like he had something important he needed to do but couldn't remember."

"_He said that?"_ Lan thought. _"__I wonder__… And the way he uses that sword definitely feels familiar..."_

"But wait…" Raito realized. "You said that everyone has the potential but few actually get anywhere with it. Why?"

"We don't know." Lan said, his expression becoming more pensive and somber. "I have theories though. Some people can go through their whole lives without finding something to really dive into. They just stagnate, stop growing as people… and then the years go by. Others feel like they don't belong anywhere and grow to resent the world…"

As he uttered those words, memories of past battles crossed his mind. Criminals, rebels, a certain mad scientist who had managed to find peace in the last few years of his life. While he was glad to have been able to stop them and even redeem a few along the way, he was painfully aware that they had not just sprouted from a hole in the ground – something had made them into what they'd been.

"And then there are the others." Lan added, his expression brightening again. "The ones who end up taking on challenges that seem ridiculous to most, by choice or by chance. I think that's one of the reasons why we ended up the way we are."

"I'm surprised." Raito remarked with a playful smirk. "I didn't think you ever thought about such deep things."

"I have my moments." Lan retorted with a grin. "But there's something else you should know. Just as you awaken to this power, your influence and your mere presence will cause the same thing to happen to others. Awakening them to the Light is like starting a wildfire."

"A wildfire?" Maito asked.

"In the last twenty years more and more people with special abilities have been popping up." Lan elaborated. "There were probably many before them, keeping a low profile, but ever since we started our antics their numbers have spiked. Especially after the Asteroid incident and the Sigma Uprising, more people have managed to bring out this power. I don't think it's a coincidence."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the base underneath the Black Forest...

After a thorough grilling by the Professor regarding his version of the events involving her sister, the woman finally relented and gave Atreus some breathing room. For Amelia's part, she had watched and heard the whole explanation in awkward silence.

"I can't help blaming myself." the Professor said, rubbing her temples. "I should have seen the signs but I was too busy here to pay attention."

"So…" Atreus hesitantly said. "You really are the head of research here? No offense intended, of course."

"None taken." the Professor said. "I know what you're thinking. I'm not that much older than you and it's an unusual choice to say the least. The truth is, I wasn't meant to be taking this on alone."

"Oh?" Amelia asked.

"My mother was one of the candidates." the Professor explained with a somber expression. "At least for the biochemistry division. Regrettably, as you know, she could not join us…"

"I can't imagine what it's like…" Amelia said sympathetically. "Our father lost his parents before he was old enough to remember them and the experience left its marks."

"Lamenting what happened won't bring them back though." the Professor noted with a hint of steel in her tone. "So I'll settle for the next best thing. Making sure this world has a future… by helping drive out those alien bastards."

"So how did you end up as the head of research?" Amelia asked.

"The other experts were more interested in getting actual concrete work done." the Professor said. "I ended up volunteering to help coordinate them and one thing led to another. I'm sure some of them aren't terribly fond of the idea of someone far younger being in charge of them, but they can't argue with the results."

"Yes, we need to put all of our skills to use if we want to get through this." Atreus said. "In fact, before the next battle breaks out again, maybe I should find a more constructive outlet for my frustrations."

"Meaning?" the Professor asked.

"We may not look like it, but we're scientists ourselves… even if we're still in training." Amelia added, having discussed the matter with her brother in advance. "While we're here, why not tell us a bit about your work? Maybe we can find a way to make ourselves useful."

"That would depend." the Professor said. "What kind of training have you two had?"

"Asimov University's multidisciplinary general program." Atreus elaborated. "I was halfway through aerospace physics studies before this whole thing started."

"Really?" the Professor asked, quirking an eyebrow. "You don't look the type."

"Our grandfather was a physicist." Atreus explained. "I've always had a… personal fascination with flight and space."

"I was diving into a combined robotics and programming course while helping as an assistant in the history department." Amelia added.

"That would require considerable time management skills." the Professor noted, sounding genuinely impressed.

"Our mother got her first degree when she was twelve." Amelia pointed out with pride. "She wanted our lives to be more balanced though, so we reached a compromise."

"So you got an early start, like me?" the Professor deduced.

"Yes." Amelia confirmed. "Accelerated schooling but with break periods every three months so we wouldn't become complete shut ins."

"_I just wish we could get those two out of the lab more often." _she thought in frustration, lightly puffing her cheeks.

"Well then…" the Professor said as she turned her attention to a large metal table where the pieces of a colossal metal staff were resting. "What do you make of this?"

"Is that what I think it is?" Amelia asked.

"Correct." the Professor confirmed. "The remains of that weapon the boys cut in half in the Far East. The Kiryu-Kai recovery team sent it directly here after the battle."

"It definitely doesn't look like any metal we've seen." Amelia noted.

"Not to mention the strange energy blade it projected." the Professor mused. "Whatever power source the weapon held seems to be spent, but it looks like the blade was far more dangerous than the staff itself… which is saying something after the way those blows cracked the X-1's plating."

* * *

At around the same time, in an inconspicuous office complex somewhere in the western hemisphere…

"Well then." the Director said, staring at the hooded man from behind her desk. "You said you wanted to make yourself useful to us. I suppose we should find your first assignment."

"Good." the hooded man said. "But I do have some conditions."

"You haven't even done anything yet and you're already dictating terms?" Hades retorted, barely concealing his annoyance.

"I am not killing for you." the hooded man said nonchalantly, ignoring his remark. "Not unless it's a life or death situation. I am not harming innocents or engaging in distasteful acts."

"What a curious man you are." the Director noted, squinting at him as if trying to peer through the unnatural darkness underneath his white hood. "You are aware of how the Prometheus Group was built, are you not?"

"I have heard the short version." the hooded man retorted. "But I am far less interested in its past than I am in its future."

"What exactly do you mean?" the Director asked.

"I mean I am here to take the measure of your character." the man reiterated. "And see what paths you choose to tread. You are not your predecessors, despite their attempts at molding you in their image."

"You've done your homework." Hades noted. "But if you're hoping to find some sort of leverage…"

"I have literally just stated my intentions." the hooded man cut him off. "Could we dispense with this territorial posturing?"

"Gentlemen…" the Director chimed in. "Would you kindly keep things civil?"

"_He did save her life…" _Hades pondered, having had time to review the security footage. _"But the timing was almost a little too convenient… and I still have no idea how he did that. He doesn't seem to be synthetic, so… how did he punch that piece of debris in half?"_

"Well then…" the Director said, fixating her gaze on the hooded figure again. "Let us see how you handle this assignment."

"I'm listening." he answered.

"Given the current state of affairs, we will need to relocate to another facility soon." the Director explained. "We have two… involuntary guests that need to be monitored during the relocation. I do not wish them harmed, but they must not be given even the slightest chance of escape. Therefore, you will be collaborating with Hades to take care of their transfer."

"Who are they?" the hooded man asked.

"You don't need to know that." Hades retorted.

"All you need to know is that one is a trained scientist and the other a soldier." the Director said. "They are resourceful and should not be underestimated under any circumstances, but they are not to be harmed."

The Director reached into one of the drawers in her desk and produced what looked like a pair of glass capsules, which he laid out on the table.

"Should they prove too troublesome to handle, you are authorized to employ this compound. It should knock them out and has been engineered to inflict short term memory loss. Just make sure not to breathe the gas yourself."

"_We could simply use it and send them on their way or leave them somewhere for X-COM to find…" _Hades pondered, glancing at the Director. _"But I suppose you really are changing."_

"How much time do we have for preparations?" the hooded figure asked.

"Forty-eight hours." Hades said. "Until then, the building is in lockdown."

"I will be in my quarters until it is time to leave then." the hooded figure said before turning to the Director and nodding respectfully. "Excuse me."

With that, he stepped out of the office, closing the door behind him. Once he was out of earshot, Hades turned to the director.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked.

"There is a… small probability of the gas causing some sort of lingering damage." she hesitantly said, her composure breaking again. "I would save it as a last resort."

"The old you would have thought nothing of disposing of them." Hades noted.

"True…" she conceded, her hands slightly trembling. "But there is already plenty of blood on our hands. I would like to try something different."

"Because of who they are, or because of their connection to… them?" Hades asked.

"We too were innocent once, my friend." she said with a wistful expression.

"I suppose so." Hades conceded. "I won't question your methods after all we've been through. I just wasn't expecting this."

"I am not particularly proud of what I needed to become to get where I am now." the Director said. "Regardless of how all this plays out, I would rather avoid more broken lives."

"It's funny what family does to the likes of us." Hades remarked. "I gave up on my vengeance and my rivalry… and you…"

The Director leaned forward, rested her elbows on the desk and placed her fingertips on her forehead.

"I suppose before we even discovered their existence… this life was already beginning to feel empty."

Despite the heavy mood, Hades allowed himself the faintest hint of a smile.

"Our sisters will be the death of us one of these days..."

"Methinks the good sir doth protest too much…" the Director retorted with a hint of amusement seeping into her tone. "Tupoy Brat."

"Now don't you start that too…" Hades grumbled.

* * *

After another long day, Lan fell asleep again and, much to his surprise, found himself in a strange room that would fit perfectly on an ancient castle, with black stone walls lined with tapestries and sturdy, old fashioned windows with thick wooden frames and glass panels.

The room itself was lit by torches, though there was no sign of smoke or the smell one would associate with them. Looking around the chamber, he noticed it was richly decorated with regal wooden furniture to match, namely dressers, a large bed in the back of the chamber, a recliner and, at its center, a square table where two figures were sitting, apparently sipping tea before his arrival, and currently looking at him. The two, clearly female, were the strangest elements of the room by far.

Lan turned his attention first to what appeared to be a small girl with a prominent forehead, her head adorned by golden hair and a strange crown that looked almost like a children's toy, ornamented with a set of rubies and comically oversized prongs, each with a differently shaped decoration at the end. She was wearing a frilly white dress with a golden brooch ornamented with a large ruby over the chest and some sort of black leather belt that clashed horribly with the dress around the waist. At the moment she was glaring at him with a look of annoyance in her blue eyes.

The eyes color was different, but there was something strikingly familiar about the face and the petite frame, not to mention the posture, clearly of someone of high standing who had been taught such mannerisms.

"Yai?" he called out incredulously. "When did you get so small again? And what is this place?"

"Who is this 'Yai'?" the girl indignantly retorted, baring a pair of fangs. "You stand in the presence of the mighty Princess Devilot de Deathsatan, ninth of her name! How did a lowly peasant like you even get so far into my chambers?!"

"Uh… what?" Lan muttered, utterly confused by her appearance, her manner of speaking and the frankly ridiculous name.

"Well?!" the girl insisted, growing impatient.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but you do look almost like a twin of someone I know."

"Impossible!" the girl retorted, slamming her fists on the table. "There can be no one like me!"

"Well, sorry to disappoint." Lan sarcastically answered, crossing his arms. "As for your chambers, I have no idea where I am or how I got here."

"Well well..." a woman also sitting at the table said with amusement, standing in sharp contrast with the girl.

She looked rather voluptuous, possibly somewhere in her twenties, with flowing hair tinged with a strange shade of teal. Lan felt distinctly uncomfortable under her gaze, almost like a piece of meat, and the fact that she was wearing what looked like some sort of skintight purple ensemble resembling a combination of bikini and stockings, both stamped with bat a shaped pattern, did not help much.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Lan asked, keeping his cool.

"I can understand that you wouldn't know the Princess here, since she's a tad more reclusive, but have you never heard of me?" the woman replied in mock offense. "I'm disappointed."

"In fact..." she added with a grin. "I must say I'm a bit cross at Ryu for not having introduced you to me."

"Wait what?" Lan muttered, blinking in confusion. "What does Dex's master have to do with any of this?"

"I guess he didn't mention me at all." she said with a pout, resting her elbows at the table and placing her chin over her intertwined hands. "Then again, he was never one for socializing."

"Did you bring me here?" Lan asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Maybe…" the woman playfully retorted.

"Really Morrigan?" the girl grumbled. "I know how much of a mess you usually make… whether you decide to fight them or..."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." the woman said with a soft laugh. "I know how fragile humans can be. It would be a shame to ruin such a handsome face."

"I probably shouldn't even ask..." Lan said, his discomfort intensifying. "Anyway, the ring on my finger isn't just for show, so dial it down a bit, lady."

"Oh, how delightful!" Morrigan said with a sudden grin, glancing at the platinum band on his finger. "As much as I would enjoy tangling with one of the so-called Warriors of Light, an angry wife would be most troublesome… especially for you."

"You are utterly shameless." Devilot said, shaking her head before taking another sip of her tea.

"I know." Morrigan said with pride.

"So why exactly did you snatch me?" Lan asked, definitely suspicious of her motives.

"I wanted to see what you're all about." Morrigan said with a mischievous smile, casually glancing to the side. "But that will have to wait."

"Really, Morrigan?" a familiar male voice interjected. "Really?"

A familiar figure stepped into view. A pale, black-haired man with glowing blue eyes, clad in a white toga over an elaborate golden suit of armor, clutching a bulky old-fashioned leather-bound tome in his left hand.

"You spoke so highly of the good Professor and his brother, I couldn't help getting curious." Morrigan said, still smiling.

"It would seem I cannot leave you without supervision for even a moment…" Raziel grumbled.

"For a minute I did wonder if this had you finger in it." Lan remarked.

"He's not the only one who can summon the consciousness of others, you know." Morrigan pointed out. "And it gets so dreadfully boring without visitors."

"I suppose I can agree with that." Devilot conceded before an unsettling grin crept over her face. "One grows dull simply sitting around ruling one's domain. Perhaps it is time we set out exploring the X-Zone once again."

"I thought you'd see it my way." Morrigan said with glee.

"But you do have your own castle." Devilot pointed out. "I see no reason why you cannot… entertain your guests there instead of here."

"Wait…" Lan said, recognizing the name. "The X-Zone? Then…"

"Yes, we know your friends from the Earth next door too." Morrigan confirmed, flashing a grin. "In fact, when you see X again, tell him that turtleneck sweater and those glasses make him look absolutely adorable. Alia landed herself quite a catch..."

Her tone once again made Lan feel uncomfortable and he couldn't help silently wondering how X had ever ended up getting acquainted with such a strange woman.

"My apologies." Raziel said with barely contained annoyance as he turned his attention to Lan. "It seems I must have another conversation with the lady here about wasting certain incantations on frivolous pranks."

"Oh please." Morrigan retorted in mock offense. "When I do it, it's frivolous pranks. When you do it, it's offering counsel. You're getting a bit too stuck up in your old age, archangel."

"And you are as cavalier as ever." Raziel retorted.

By the tone, it seemed to Lan that they were old acquaintances, though he would be hard pressed to find a more mismatched set of people than the three of them.

With that, Morrigan got up and patted Lan on the head with a mischievous smirk.

"You've been a good sport about the whole thing, but I won't take up more of your time for now. You still have plenty of work ahead."

As his surroundings faded, Lan heard her voice again one last time.

"It's been fun."

"Now then…" Raziel added, once Lan was gone. "You have had your fun. Shall we return to the matter at hand?"

"Fine." Morrigan said, all trace of humor suddenly gone from her expression. "Are you sure about this?"

"One cannot be absolutely certain of anything anymore." Raziel retorted. "But I do strongly suspect that this matter has been influenced by her hand. To what extent and to what end, I do not know."

"This was before my time." Devilot intervened with a sour expression. "But if you are correct… I simply cannot allow it."

Moments later, Lan woke up in his bed.

"_What the hell was that all about?"_ he wondered.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an underground sub pen in Neo Atlantis…

"Are you sure this is OK, Laika?" Ciel asked, standing in front of the Morskoy Lev. "After all, this is Eurasian Federation military hardware."

"And I am the commanding officer and have been given leave to use it as I see fit." Laika replied. "Nobody will give us any crap as long as we get the job done."

"To be honest…" Kalinka added. "You should be more worried about the Federation stealing whatever technology you lend us after this is over. Of course we'll fight the brass if it comes down to it."

"Well…" Lune chimed in, walking down the flight of stairs leading to the dock. "You certainly don't settle for mundane challenges."

"Tell me…" Ciel said. "Kalinka, how would you like to help us test one of our prototypes?"

"Would I ever?" Kalinka asked with an unsettling grin. "What do you have in mind?"

"The next stage of the Magnetic Levitation Engine." Lune said, straightening her glasses. "Something we call the Tesla Drive."

"We're still working out some of the kinks." Ciel added. "But if we manage to make it work, it's yours."

* * *

A few days later, in high orbit around Mars, a massive black elongated monolith emerged in a burst of silvery gray-energy, its bulk comparable to the red planet's moons, at least lengthwise. In similar flashes, smaller craft emerged. Some were shaped like colossal obsidian daggers, with spikes reminiscent of fins protruding from their dorsal side. Others, smaller still, were wider in shape and covered in segmented plating, with their fronts decorated with a pair of large strange pronged beam emitters that evoked the shape of scorpion claws.

The largest of the craft, despite its imposing appearance, seemed old and worn, with its surface pitted by countless impacts both from space rocks and weaponry and its hull bore many mismatched patches attesting to improvised repair work with whatever materials were at hand.

* * *

A few more days later, at the base underneath the Black Forest...

"Are you kidding me?" Asaru muttered, his composure slipping for one of the rare times Gilliam had known him.

"An alien battleship of some sort." Gilliam said, watching the satellite footage of a massive elongated vessel, resembling a black metal dagger with several dorsal protrusions resembling fins as it entered the atmosphere. "We figured it was only a matter of time until they showed their real strength."

"What were they doing at the Moonbase monitoring station?" Asaru wondered. "The whole point of them being there was providing advance warning for something like this."

"That alien metal has proven rather troublesome for our detection systems." Gilliam pointed out.

"We're going to have to step up our efforts to crack their communication frequencies." Asaru said, clenching his fist. "Those interrogations are still going to take time though."

"For now, we have more immediate priorities." Gilliam pointed out as the alien craft's estimated trajectory appeared on the screen.

Asaru nodded engaged the yellow alert alarm, then reached for the intercom on his desk, reaching the base commanders in the Asian region.

"Major Lau, Colonel Wong." Asaru called out.

"Raven wing standing by." a man with a thick Cantonese accent answered.

"Lightning wing ready." a woman with a softer Japanese accent added.

* * *

Around that time, in the base laboratory…

In the days since their first encounter, the Atreides siblings had slowly begun to know the Professor a little better. The young woman, sharp and witty, carried herself with a pride and dignity beyond her years. Not only was she strikingly beautiful – a fact Amelia did not waste any time teasing her brother about – but there was an imposing intensity to her presence that left few people indifferent.

As the LED lights embedded on the ceiling flashed signaling a yellow alert, the siblings exchanged glances.

"It looks like we're going to have to cut this short…" Amelia lamented, putting down a tablet containing a lengthy research report. "Pity."

"You actually understood that?" the Professor asked, a little surprised. The siblings had managed to baffle her at every turn, exceeding her expectations and still finding new ways of surprising her.

"For the most part." Atreus said, glancing over his sister's shoulder. "We do swap notes since we're studying different fields."

If he were to be completely honest, the woman's surprised reaction was a treat to watch, not because it made her confident facade falter, but rather because she seemed to earnestly appreciate their shared interests.

"It started getting a little verbose near the end though." Amelia chimed in.

"You've already finished the whole thing?" the Professor asked, with her eyebrows raising.

"You'll find that we're full of surprises." Atreus said, once again taking relishing in her reaction.

"Well then…" Amelia said, setting the tablet down on a table.

"We're off!" Atreus added, turning to leave.

"Before you go…" the Professor said with a hint of steel in her gaze. "I absolutely forbid either of you from getting blown up out there. Got it?"

"Don't worry about us." Amelia said. "I'll drag him back by ear if I have to."

"They won't lay a finger on you." Atreus said, suddenly looking far more serious. "Not this time."

"_What an odd pair...__"_ the Professor mused as she watched them go.

Moments later, her sister stepped into the laboratory, clad in her uniform dress as usual.

"There they go again…" she remarked.

"I definitely wasn't expecting this when we first met them." the Professor mused.

"You mean finding someone who's as clever as you but not an old prune?" the Staff Sergeant retorted with her typical smile. "Two of them, no less?"

"That too." she said with a nod before turning to her sister, her expression suddenly stern and unreadable. "But I hope you've been taking better care of yourself."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that war or not, you have an obligation to yourself, Sarah." the Professor said.

"_She knows…"_ the petite Staff Sergeant realized as she felt her sister's glare.

"I'm sorry Sis…" she said, suddenly downcast. "I know I should be stronger… like you are."

"Don't be ridiculous." the Professor retorted with a scowl. "You have strengths I don't. I just need you to take better care of yourself."

"I'm not sure what exactly you see in me, Rachel…" the Staff Sergeant said. "But you're right. I can't keep undermining myself. After all, with Mother and Father gone, you're all I have and I can't keep using you as a crutch."

"That's not true." Rachel retorted. "You have Leo and his father. You have all these people who keep interrupting my work to ask how you're doing. Lalah and those two may have been shipped overseas but you know they'd be here in a flash if you needed them."

"You're right, I suppose." Sarah said, slightly perking up. "I just hope those children from the Far East will be safe out there."

"It sounds like they've made another fan here." Rachel noted with amusement.

"You should see how the Japanese contingent act every time the Robot Masters appear on the news then." Sarah retorted with a smile.

"The lab is supposed to be soundproof but I can still hear them from here." Rachel admitted. "Their enthusiasm is contagious."

"But tell me…" Rachel added with a mischievous grin as she glanced in the direction of the door they had left through. "What do you think of those two?"

"I'm still not sure." Sarah said, scratching her chin. "I mean, they look nice enough. The way she follows him around is just a bit weird."

"To be fair, if you had a brother like that…" Rachel teased.

"Sis!" Sarah protested, looking a little flustered by the implication.

"Too easy." Rachel noted with a grin.

The petite Staff Sergeant puffed her cheeks and gave her sister a dirty look before calming down.

"I suppose there's something comforting about a strong older sibling keeping you safe." she conceded.

"_But why do I have this nagging feeling that I know them from somewhere?"_

* * *

Minutes later, the Apotheosis and the Hoplon took off from the base.

A few more minutes later, as they soared eastward, they eventually spotted the form of the Leonarch approaching over the horizon, flying without any visible means of propulsion.

"You too huh?" Atreus noted.

"The old home can look after itself for a while." Alexander said, before casting a closer look at the Apotheosis.

"Brothers from another mother, indeed." he remarked after a short pause while the three soared side by side.

"I hope you're talking about the machines." Amelia quipped.

"I see your sense of humor hasn't changed." Alexander said with a knowing smirk.

"Why do you even carry that spear around?" Atreus counter-quipped. "Your mouth is a weapon in its own league."

"Smartass." Amelia scoffed, steering the Hoplon's hand to lightly bonk the Apotheosis on the head.

Whether she was doing it intentionally or not, Atreus had to admit that his sister's antics were doing wonders at lightening the mood and easing the mass of concern, anger and anxiety building up in the back of his mind. For the time being, the bouts of disorientation and the voices had ceased and he was on his way to help make things right. That was enough.

"I am your brother after all." Atreus retorted, letting the mood seize him. "Now come on! I know that thing can go faster!"

"Race you!" Amelia said with a grin.

"_I'm still not sure how she does it."_ Alexander mused, watching as the Hoplon picked up speed.

The three machines continued soaring eastward, reaching frankly ludicrous speeds as the trio relished in the sensation of freedom that only that kind of flight could bring.

"Is it just me…" Amelia pondered. "Or is that thing even faster than last time?"

"You know…" Atreus realized. "You may be right. I'm not sure if I'm learning to draw more power from it or of it's… growing with me."

"Can you keep up Alex?" Amelia asked.

"I haven't exactly been sitting around sipping tea all this time, you know." Alexander retorted with a smile.

As they reached central Asia, they heard a loud rumbling and stopped, then turned their gaze upward. In the skies above, they spotted several dozen black VTOL fighter jets in rapid ascent, coming from the east.

"There!" Alexander shouted, the Leonarch pointing at the massive dagger-shaped black craft the size of an Olympic stadium breaking through the atmosphere, its surface blazing from the heat of atmospheric entry.

Like a swarm of furious harpies, the black interceptors swarmed it, disgorging their air-to-air missile payloads in rapid succession. Still, the massive craft flew on.

"I think they're going to need some bigger guns." Atreus commented as he watched the battle.

"This is going to end badly…" Alexander remarked, feeling a sudden chill.

While the swarming fighters left a few visible scorch marks, the plating on the alien vessel seemed to be several orders of magnitude thicker and sturdier than that found on even the towering constructs the Hikari cousins had faced on previous outings. Undaunted, the pilots continued their onslaught, moving closer to strafe the craft with massive gatling cannons about as large as the ones toted by their MECs.

"Not if we have anything to say about it." Amelia countered, tightening the Hoplon's grip on its spear.

Still, the massive craft continued on its course, indifferent to the onslaught. Just as one of the pilots prepared for another strafing run, however, a loud hum reverberated through the air, followed by a barrage of rapid fire amber tinted energy beams that erupted from emitters concealed underneath the craft's plating.

Instinctively, the trio scrambled, squeezing as much speed out of their machines as they could. Before they could cross the distance completely, though, two of the fighters were sliced in half and a third careened out of control as its tail was reduced to slag. While Asaru had been cautious and outfitted every fighter with a protective layer of alien alloys, it was still not enough.

With a slight lead over the others, Atreus moved in to catch the falling craft, while the Leonarch raised its shield, attempting to interpose itself between the battleship and another of the jets. The shield, as it turned out, was not simply decorative, effortlessly deflecting the beams.

"Get out of here." Alexander said, projecting his voice to the pilot directly underneath his position while raising the Leonarch's right hand and calling upon the Judgement Buster. With a roar from the cannon shaped like a lion's head, an orb of swirling pure white burst forth, detonating as it hit the ship's plating.

Meanwhile, Atreus felt his heart skip a beat as the helpless fighter he was still chasing tumbled away from his grasp at the last instant.

"_No…"_

The pilot, likely unconscious after getting shaken so violently, was in no condition to eject.

Again, his surroundings abruptly shifted and the unsettling construct vanished in a flash and reappeared directly under the tumbling craft. Without thinking, he tried to seize the opportunity and exerted his will. The construct's hands reached upward and somehow caught the crippled jet in a steady grip.

With momentary relief, Atreus finally let out the breath he'd been holding… only for a large energy beam cannon mounted on the alien ship's underside to pop out and take aim, opening fire in the blink of an eye and spearing through the damaged jet, incinerating the pilot, and then striking the Apotheosis itself, causing the strange golden barrier to once again become visible, struggling against the beam.

Atreus froze for a moment as his mind struggled to process what was happening. As another life flickered away in his presence, he once again felt a stinging sensation on his chest. This time around, however, he had no time to react. As he motionlessly stared at the burning wreckage still in his construct's hands, the barrier faltered and the Apotheosis tumbled down.

"Eísai afanís…" Amelia hissed, clenching her teeth. The tip of the Hoplon's spear started glowing menacingly with a flaming golden radiance.

In a swift motion, she hurled the spear at the beam cannon and, without bothering to look, broke into a dive after her brother. Whether it was dumb luck, will, rage or something else, the spear flawlessly lodged itself right between the plating, striking the exposed beam emitter and causing it to explode.

Amelia chased after the plummeting Apotheosis without hesitation, catching it like a bird of prey. Shaken out of his stupor, Atreus looked around with a start. Above, Alexander allowed himself a sigh of relief before his attention was turned to the flock of spherical fighters being disgorged from the belly of the alien craft, each of them ten times the size of the remote control drones that had accompanied prior incursions and bearing two prongs in the front, their purpose becoming obvious as they unleashed bursts of smaller amber-colored blasts which the Leonarch scrambled to block.

"What happened?" Atreus muttered.

"This isn't the time to be taking naps, dummy." Amelia scolded with evident concern. "Are you OK?"

"I'll live." he said, clenching his fists and summoning his blade. "They will not."

"Wha-" Amelia muttered before the Apotheosis darted straight up, freeing itself from the Hoplon's grasp.

From a distance, the Four Guardians watched, straining their machines' newly fitted Magnetic Levitation Engines to keep pace.

"His lapses in focus are concerning…" Phantom noted, monitoring the situation like a hawk.

"But he's bouncing back faster." Fighter added, a hint of pride seeping into his tone.

"She has her work cut out for her if she really wants to be her brother's keeper." Fairy remarked with a pensive frown.

"Shall we end this here and now before things get out of hand?" Sage suggested.

"Not just yet." a fifth voice chimed in, deeper and determined.

"Are you serious right now?" Fairy contested, more than a little aggravated.

"They are stronger than you think." the fifth voice added with confidence. "Watch."

As if on cue, the Celestial Blade extended, once again growing to ludicrous size as it charged the alien craft. As if sensing the rising fury in its sibling unit, the Leonarch let out a loud roar, living up to the beast its decorations were styled after.

"Finally." the Father's voice echoed with glee. "You are taking things seriously."

Atreus ignored the remark and continued, slicing through a trio of the spherical fighters with a single swing. Meanwhile, the Leonarch aimed its Judgement Buster again and fired. The orb impacted another of the spheres and unleashed a spherical blast wave that downed another two.

The X-COM fighters spun and weaved, trying to avoid the blasts from both the large craft and the spherical machines, but the pilots had already expended their missiles and were dangerously close to running out of ammunition for their auto-cannons.

"Nothing more we can do now." Asaru noted from his post as he watched the engagement. "Withdraw the interceptors."

The remaining X-COM interceptors, with their ammunition spent and various degrees of damage, broke off from the engagement and returned to their base. They had dealt some marginal damage, but the ones directing their efforts knew they would need to step up their game.

"We'll definitely need to focus our efforts on improving our interceptors next." Gilliam mused, standing next to Asaru.

"The orichalcum we have is too precious to waste on warheads." Asaru pondered. "But those magnetic craft weapons should be rolling out of the workshops soon."

Not wanting to fall behind the boys, Amelia focused her will… and the Hoplon's spear pried itself from the wreckage unscathed and obediently flew back into the machine's grasp. She held it with both hands and the tip started glowing with a loud hum, until an instant later a continuous golden beam shot forth, wreaking havoc on the alien craft's plating and melting one of the spheres that got too close. Unable to sustain it much longer, however, Amelia chose to sweep it across, reducing as many of the large vessel's turrets to scrap as she could.

As Atreus continued his charge, his mind raced.

"_We have to finish it before this thing gets over a city. No more burning homes. No more screams. No more people dying in vain!"_

More of the spherical craft kept pouring out from the larger vessel's belly, faster than Alexander could dispose of with the Judgement Buster. Changing his tactics, he summoned the Greater Curtana and with a surge of white flame, the blade sliced through two of the hideous spheres. A third rolled around and tried to shoot the Leonarch from behind, only to find itself skewered by the Hoplon's spear.

"_That's it girl…"_ Fairy thought with pride. _"Get the bastards!"_

The Apotheosis kept surging upwards, preparing for a swing. However, it built up more momentum than its pilot was prepared to handle and a distraction in the form of a spherical craft ramming it head on caused the blow to go wide and the blade to slip out of the construct's grasp.

"_Skata!"_ the scion fumed, before unceremoniously punching the sphere into pieces and diving back after his misplaced blade.

"I told you before." the Father retorted. "Will is power. Focus."

"Not now…" Atreus growled in annoyance.

"Calm down, my friend." the Son chimed in, surprisingly serene. "You are not at your best when you get carried away."

"I know, but…"

"Calm down." the Son insisted. "That blade, just like the construct, answers to your will. Call out… and let it come."

Atreus halted his dive and tried to calm himself.

"_Get back here!"_

And in a flash, the blade did just that. Relieved, he resumed his ascent, vowing to himself to be more mindful.

"I guess all the men in this family are the same." Fairy remarked with a smirk.

"You, Ciel and Alouette definitely have your hands full, we know." the fifth voice said, though it did not sound particularly apologetic.

"Which is why we're grateful that the children have such wonderful godparents." a softer male voice added.

"You shouldn't say those things out loud." Fighter retorted with a scoff. "You don't want your wife to get the wrong idea."

"But are you absolutely certain about this?" Phantom asked.

"After what they went through together…" Cadmus said with somber expression from his seat in the Sanctum. "And after they returned to us… I would have loved nothing more than for them to be able to live their new lives in peace."

"But since that isn't an option…" he added with his second voice as his eyes began to light up with the strange green glow again. "We'll make sure they're strong enough to cut down any enemy that appears before them."

"_Besides…"_ Cadmus thought. _"Should this body become too weak to host both of us… the future will be safe in their hands."_

"_Knock it off."_ a familiar voice retorted. _"The only place we're going is out there, as soon as we're ready."_

Behind the Four Guardians, oblivious to the exchange, a trio of Pantheon machines in flight configuration followed.

"Wow…" Rouge commented. "Those kids are good."

The Leonarch rolled out of the way of a barrage of fire and slammed its shield on one of the spherical machines before cutting another one down with the Greater Curtana.

"Makes you wonder why they need us here." Jaune added.

Atreus continued his ascent, briefly raising the left hand of the Apotheosis to fire a thick beam of golden energy at the alien vessel's exposed belly. The damage to the craft was definitely piling up, but it still would not stop or slow down.

"_If I'd missed that one, I might as well get a dog and a cane." _he thought with some irritation at his missed shots during earlier battles. _"__Well, maybe I'll still get a dog later."_

"You did say you wanted to learn a thing or two from the Guardians." Colbor reminded.

"Not to mention this is your chance to look good in front of Fairy." Rouge teased.

"I still don't know where you get those notions from." Colbor retorted. "Besides, a battlefield is no place to be showing off."

The tip of the Hoplon's spear glowed again and Amelia drove it into the alien craft's side, dragging it along the surface and shearing off a portion of the plating. Meanwhile, Alexander dutifully covered her back with the Leonarch's shield while firing a few more bursts from the Judgement Buster. The alien craft shuddered and something inside sputtered as its speed faltered.

"Aww!" Jaune pouted. "You're no fun."

"Well…" Colbor sarcastically retorted. "I'm sorry I'm not crashing into things like that maniac Craft."

"Neige was definitely pissed at him." Rouge snickered.

"At least while we're here we don't have to deal with his or Faucon's crap." Colbor noted.

"Between them and Fighter over there…" Jaune commented, keeping a safe distance from the Great Fefnir. "I'm not sure which is worse."

"Funny." Fighter remarked as he watched the trio's aerial battle.

"What?" Sage asked.

"They haven't had many chances to fight together but they're already finding their pace as a team." Fairy noted.

While the Apotheosis and the Leonarch definitely had a connection and continued to resonate in each other's presence, the Hoplon was entirely man-made. Still, it was keeping up with the others, its lithe frame weaving across the battlefield and dishing out a fair deal of punishment.

"Watch out!" Alexander shouted in warning as two spherical machines buzzed around the Hoplon. Before he could intercept them, they opened fire, one from the left and one from below.

Amelia instinctively blocked the shots from the one on her left, but the one below had a clear path… until her incensed brother brought his blade to bear, cutting it in half.

"I said nobody was laying a finger on you again." he reiterated.

Whoever was in command of the battleship suddenly decided to start taking things seriously and all the remaining armaments focused fire on the Apotheosis. While nowhere near as powerful as the cannon that had struck it before, the sheer number of energy bolts raining down on a single target had the potential to become a threat.

To his credit, for once Atreus managed to keep a cool head, spinning the blade to deflect as many of the blasts as he could.

"_Where did he learn to do that?"_ Sage wondered. _"Wait… wasn't that one of… his moves back in the day?"_

"_Truly…"_ Cadmus thought with a grin, still watching from his chair. _"He's your son as much as he's mine."_

"_But I don't remember ever teaching him that…" _the voice in the back of his mind noted, caught by surprise.

It was still not enough, though, and the barrier was beginning to falter under repeated impacts. However, Alexander and Amelia weren't about to idly watch.

While Atreus changed tactics, barreling around erratically to make himself more difficult to hit, the Hoplon and the Leonarch charged the alien craft and started tearing through its surface with spear and sword. The claws ornamenting the Leonarch's left hand grew in size and Alexander started alternating between sword swings and claw swipes.

"What are you doing you idiot?!" one of the aliens inside shouted over his shoulder. "Send out the bomb drones!"

"Your mother is a bomb drone!" another alien retorted. "Don't rush me!"

Amelia picked up another alien unit emerging from the craft and initially mistook it for another of the spherical fighter craft. She was quickly disabused of that notion as the object, slightly smaller, lit up with a crimson light resembling a baleful eye, and then rammed the Hoplon at full thrust.

As it exploded, knocking the Hoplon off the sky and making it drop its spear, several things happened at the same time. Alexander froze in place. Atreus felt his heart threaten to jump out of his chest. The Pantheon trio gasped. The Four Guardians tensed up.

"Playtime is over." Sage hissed before surging forth at an impossible speed.

"Wreck the FUCKERS!" Fighter roared, raising his oversized cannons and pouring a seemingly endless stream of burning plasma shots on the alien craft and the remaining drones. The aliens tried to deploy more of their explosive devices, but between Fighter and Alexander, they were quickly shot down, detonating right as they emerged and damaging the craft's innards.

"Send out the bomb drones, he said…" one of the aliens inside grumbled.

"I hate you…" another retorted.

Phantom, in the meantime, not caring about theatrics, instead making his machine vanish in a puff of smoke and reappear underneath the Hoplon. Atreus, clearly having the same idea, strained his will and once again managed to vanish and reappear in a flash.

"SIS!" he called out, staring at her damaged machine.

A good portion of the frontal plating was scorched and dented, with some portions missing, and the binocular visor on its head was cracked, but it looked like the blast had failed to breach the cockpit.

"Ow…" Amelia groaned, having hit her head on one of the consoles during her tumble.

"Damnit…" Atreus hissed, feeling as though he had aged ten years in the previous few seconds.

"I'll be fine." she assured, despite her obvious discomfort. "We'll just have to think about getting some helmets later."

"Don't scare me like that…" Atreus muttered, placing a hand on his chest.

He took a deep breath and then turned his attention to Phantom.

"What are you four doing here anyway?"

"Seven." Phantom corrected just as the Pantheon trio came into view and started peppering the alien craft with rapid fire Buster shots. "And what does it look like we're doing?"

"Covering for us." he deduced, before turning back to face the alien craft, clenching his fists.

"Take care of her, Uncle." Atreus growled. "I'm going to correct my mistake."

With that, he broke into a mad dash, the blade once again extending.

"_I said nobody would lay a finger on you…"_ he fumed inwardly. _"I guess I couldn't keep that promise, but they'll pay for this!"_

It only took one glance for Fighter to understand what was happening.

"_Oh shit…"_

Still firing the Great Fefnir's oversized cannons, he turned his machine's head to face the Leonarch, though there was no physical need, and shouted a warning.

"Get out of the way NOW kid!"

"What the…" Alexander muttered as he sensed the furious presence rapidly approaching and decided to give it a wide berth.

There were no grand proclamations or speeches. There were no promises of retribution. There was only a furious young man avenging his sister… and the blade, reaching the most ludicrous length it had ever reached while the construct's golden eyes momentarily flashed crimson.

"Yes…" the Father hissed with glee. "Strike it-"

His voice was drowned out by the tremendous roar as the blade came down in a vertical sweep, cutting the alien craft in half. The two halves split apart and the vessel crashed upon a barren field below, rendered lifeless by some industrial accident a century prior. As the thunderous impact kicked up a tremendous cloud of dust and debris, Atreus just stood there, his eyes nearly bulging out of his sockets, as he contemplated his handiwork, until the impact jolted him out of it.

"Is there… nothing this blade cannot cut?" he quietly wondered, once again feeling uneasy about the sheer power at his command.

"That depends entirely on the wielder." the Father said, for a change without a hint of derision.

"Holy shit…" Rouge muttered, watching the wreckage.

"What do they even need us here for?" Jaune wondered.

From his chamber, Asaru watched on in stunned silence as the satellite footage continued to play on his monitors.

Next to him, Gilliam smirked.

_"I've definitely seen that before. I wonder if the boy has German relatives."_

* * *

As Cadmus watched the scene unfold from his seat at the Sanctum, he let out the breath he had been holding.

"That was… too close…" he muttered, placing a hand on his chest.

"_She's tougher than she looks."_ the voice in the back of his mind said with pride. _"Just like the machine we __built__ for her."_

"Is this really what you want?" another male voice intervened from behind.

"Hello, X." Cadmus said, glancing over his shoulder.

"I'll admit they're putting up a good fight." X said, having replaced his plain clothes with a flowing, dignified blue tunic. "But if anything happens to them out there…"

"You didn't try to dissuade the Robot Masters though." Cadmus retorted, turning the chair around to face him.

"That's true." X conceded. "I suppose we couldn't have talked any of them out of it. Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"That said…" he added, glancing at the image of the Apotheosis on the screen, in particular the five pointed ornaments on its head resembling wings. "I still have a very bad feeling about that thing."

"_A very bad feeling indeed…"_ he thought, noticing the flash of crimson before it faded from the construct's eyes.

"So do we all." Cadmus said with weary resignation. "But we need it, at least for now."

"Now then…" the Imperative said as he stood from his chair. "What brings you here?"

"I've been trying to find a permanent solution for our Titanium X problem." X explained. "The molecular furnaces to produce a pure version are too big to fit through the gateways, unless we disassemble them and wrap the components in protective materials."

"There's also a limit to how much of the stuff we can move around to this side." Cadmus added. "Our main constraint at this point is definitely the gateway size. So what do you propose?"

"Honestly, those things take so long to disassemble and reassemble, I might as well just start building some on this side from scratch. At least two here and two at the lab, for starters."

"Ah." Cadmus realized. "In that case, you're definitely going to need materials and components. That's where we come in."

Then the computer console signaled an incoming call and Cadmus turned the chair around to answer it.

"Your kids and Alex did a great job with that alien ship." Lan said as his face appeared on the screen. "But now a bigger one is on its way down."

"Damnit…" Cadmus hissed. "Where?"

"Probably the same place that one was heading." Lan said. "The Robot Masters are on their way."

Cadmus sighed and tried to think.

"Do what you can." he finally said after a pause. "I'll send the Guardians over as soon as we get Amelia patched up and back home."

"Some people from X-COM will be joining us this time." Lan informed. "Don't worry too much about us. Take care of your girl."

With that, the call ended, and Cadmus immediately contacted the Four Guardians and his children.

"Amelia..." he called out.

"Don't worry, I've had worse." she said with a confident grin while Atreus and Fairy, having entered the Hoplon's cockpit, checked her for injuries.

"Ow!" she suddenly interjected as Fairy set about disinfecting a cut on her brow.

"I should have been paying attention…" Atreus lamented.

"Live and learn." Amelia retorted, patting his head. "Besides, I'm not made of glass."

"It's the principle of the thing." he grumbled, before lightly squeezing her left arm. "This looks a bit swollen. Does it hurt here?"

"A little." she admitted. "Nothing some ice won't fix."

"We're going to have to bring the Hoplon in for repairs." Cadmus said. "It's too dangerous to send it out again in that state."

"I can still fly it myself, you know." Amelia said.

"No, dear." Cadmus said, shaking his head. "Even if it doesn't look like you got any serious injuries, we're not taking any chances."

His tone was kind but firm, and she did not argue, knowing her father could be even more stubborn than her.

"Fine…" she conceded. "I wouldn't want you doing anything crazy like getting on a Pantheon unit just to come pick me up."

"Another ship has popped up farther east." Cadmus informed. "X-COM is joining the Robot Masters in dealing with it. Sage, Fighter, Phantom… Can I count on you to give them a hand too?"

"By your command." Phantom simply answered.

From out of sight, X watched on until the call ended and Cadmus closed all the comms channels. Once he was done, X stepped forward again.

"You've come a long way from the timid, nervous man I met all those years ago." X remarked.

Cadmus turned the chair around again and smiled.

"I had to become good enough to look after them all."

"Besides…" he added, tapping his temple with his index finger. "I've got one hell of a coach here. I'm not ashamed to say he's ten times the man I used to be, but-"

"I thought I'd told you to drop that self-deprecating crap." the second voice admonished, speaking through his mouth.

"You did." Cadmus acknowledged. "And I suppose you're right. I should give myself a little more credit."

"_You should."_ the second voice retorted. _"We may have ended up like this by accident, but __I stuck around by choice.__"_


	16. The Master of the Fist

Chapter 16 – The Master of the Fist

Not long after the destruction of the first alien battleship, the Robot Masters prepared to drop down from their Skyranger, freshly painted blue, into the middle of a bustling megalopolis, filled with frankly monstrous skyscrapers.

In previous centuries, the city had been heavily modernized and expanded, becoming not only massively populated, but also bearing an eclectic mixture of architectural styles from various cultures, ranging from stone pagodas to western cathedrals to the towering behemoths of glass, steel and concrete that seemed to be trying to reach into the heavens.

From his office, Asaru watched on, monitoring both the deployment and the estimated trajectory of the second battleship, over twice the size of its predecessor.

"Of all the places… It had to go to Guangzhou."

"What about it?" Gilliam asked, looking a little confused.

"Remember what I told you about Operation Slingshot? That battleship we hijacked mid flight and picked clean on another Earth? Guess what city we boarded it over."

"Parallel universes are a baffling thing." Gilliam remarked. "Sometimes it feels as though some higher power enjoys taunting us with echoes of our past."

"We have other concerns right now though." Asaru said, glancing in the direction of the tactical display, which was showing several cities under attack by alien spacecraft in combination with the typical robot units. Whatever the aliens had in mind, it seemed that they were trying to cause as much of a disruption as possible to allow the battleship to move unhindered.

"It appears they have changed tactics…" Gilliam noted. "Our MEC units may be giving as good as they get, but the aliens have an aerial advantage."

Actual alien spacecraft had not been seen since the opening salvo at Nova Vinea. X-COM suspected that whatever fleet the aliens had mustered was hiding somewhere in space, but the invaders' reasons for not simply swarming down in force were still unknown. Interrogations of alien captives proceeded apace, thanks in no small part to Asaru's psionics, but so far all of them seemed to be either grunts without a grasp of the bigger picture or criminals forcibly enlisted in some sort of penal regiment – the kind of people who wouldn't be entrusted with any kind of sensitive information.

Asaru's expression remained unreadable as he watched live footage of a MEC squad trying to take down another alien vessel with rocket launchers.

"The Asian air wings are in pretty bad shape after taking on that first battleship. A pity we can't equip our MECs for aerial combat just yet."

"It's still a juggling act." Gilliam lamented. "We're going to have to step up our alloy production and push out the new fighter craft models. There's only so much we can do by refitting existing ones."

"I suppose we should be glad that we managed to avoid getting the whole project canned after so many years of peace." Asaru noted with a scowl. "But no matter the Earth, it seems I'm fated to fight bean counters and bureaucrats as much as alien invaders."

With that, the Major's eyes narrowed and he furrowed his brow.

"I just wonder what could have prompted this change in tactics."

"I suspect we'll find out soon enough." Asaru said with a somber expression. "And we probably won't like the answer."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Sanctum...

"Aren't you a little too old for this?" Atreus protested, visibly embarrassed to have his sister perched on his back, with her arms latched around his neck.

"You said it yourself." she retorted with a mischievous smirk. "I shouldn't move around too much until I get a full check up."

"People are going to get the wrong idea if you keep doing stuff like this." he grumbled.

"Don't care." she replied, fatigue starting to seep into her tone. "One day some lucky girl is going to snatch you away. Might as well get you to spoil me a bit longer."

After disembarking from the Hoplon – or rather being eased outside by her overly concerned brother – she had caught him off guard and claimed that perch. For his part, despite the obvious embarrassment to find himself in such a position at his age, he only really put up token resistance.

"_You can really be a handful sometimes…"_ he thought as the elevator's doors shut and the cabin carried them to a higher floor. _"I was never very good at saying no to you."_

His mind drifted back to a time many years prior, when both of them had been considerably smaller. During one of his countless hikes across the island, she had insisted on following him yet again, only to trip on a root while going through a forested area. While the ever-vigilant Phantom had tried to take her home himself, she had instead insisted on having her brother carry her instead.

"_I suppose you were always good at using your cuteness to get what you wanted…" _he recalled with a smirk. Their family had doted on the two, using a caring but firm approach in an attempt to instill them a sense of morals and discipline tempered by kindness. Sometimes, however, even the dutiful Guardians could find it difficult to be strict when dealing with her.

"_You may be taller these days, but you haven't changed that much on the inside."_

While she could and would act like an adult and a budding scholar in public, when she was alone with the family she could be a bit more capricious and mischievous – but never malicious. While the two were a year apart in age, the close bond they shared could be compared to that of twins.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened, and the siblings continued on their way.

"Really now?" Fairy scoffed as Atreus carried his sister past the entrance lobby and into the small room on the ground floor where they kept a stash of emergency medical supplies and examination devices.

"What can I say?" Atreus retorted. "I guess I'm a bit of a sap when it comes to her."

"It's a good thing Fighter isn't here or he'd take a few pictures for the scrapbook." Fairy remarked with a smirk as Atreus set Amelia down on a padded reclining chair. "I suppose at least she stopped using you as a teddy bear."

"I was six!" Amelia protested, now feeling the sting of embarrassment herself.

"I guess we don't have to worry about concussions, seeing how you're as much of a smartass as ever." Fairy retorted with a smug grin, though she still set about examining her. "Still, it can't hurt to be sure."

A few moments later, Cadmus and Ciel stepped into the room, both of them trying to rein in their obvious concern.

"So, what's the verdict?" Ciel asked.

"Nothing to worry about." Fairy said, to the relief of the concerned parents and brother. "Just a few bruises."

"Time to step up the plans for the new piloting suits." Ciel said, having been working overtime on them after witnessing the X-1's awkward tumbling.

"It looks like the internal integrity fields held." Cadmus said, still holding a tablet with the Hoplon's readouts. "Small victories, but we definitely need to improve the armor and the visor."

"_It's going to take a while to crank out enough high grade Titanium X to refit the Robot Masters and the entire Pantheon, but at least for now we should be able to manage this much. Those alien alloys look promising too..."_

"They got lucky with that cheap shot." Amelia pouted from the reclining chair she was sitting on. "But I won't exactly say no to upgrades."

"Of course you didn't miss the chance to tug at a certain someone's heartstrings." Ciel added, glancing at Amelia.

"I spoil her too much, I know." Atreus conceded with a shrug.

The Imperative and the Affirmative had gone through much together and played various roles in their lifetime. Scientists, research partners, leaders. None of that could have prepared them for the role of parents. Seeing the family back to the usual banter definitely helped put them a little at ease.

"To be fair…" Cadmus said with a knowing smile. "When these two start doing the puppy eyes, our higher brain functions shut down."

"_You can say that again…"_ the voice in the back of his mind chimed in. _"Damnit Ciel… You've taught our little girl a little too well."_

"Do you think they're evil psychic aliens out to conquer us all?" Atreus joked.

"_Interesting choice of words…"_ the voice in the back of the Imperative's mind remarked, noticeably amused. _"__Do you think he's onto something?"_

"Who knows?" Cadmus retorted with a shrug, earning a scoff from his unseen companion. "Maybe they use their powers to look adorable and steal hearts. If we're not careful, they could end up taking over the whole galaxy."

"Oh please." Ciel retorted with a grin. "I've got everything I could possibly want right here."

She then walked up to the chair and lightly flicked the tip of Amelia's nose.

"But what have I told you about teasing your brother like that?"

"I can't help it." Amelia said with a mischievous smile. "He's like a big puppy!"

"You're going to scare away all the other girls at this rate." Cadmus pointed out, trying to stifle a chuckle.

"Meh." Amelia retorted with a smirk. "Anyone who gets scared off by someone as harmless as me doesn't deserve to have him anyway."

"You, harmless?" Atreus scoffed. "Cool story Sis."

"I'm perfectly harmless." Amelia retorted, making a cherubic expression. "And anyone who complains can just get a kick to the shin."

"_I wonder if the other me on the Earth next door has to deal with this kind of stuff…" _Fairy thought.

After her creation along with her siblings, the bioroid Fairy Leviathan had dedicated her life to the protection of Neo Atlantis under the auspices of the Founders' AI, Nur-Ab-Sal. Deep inside, she had always yearned to become something more, something closer to humanity, and her path had changed forever after being assigned to protect the future Imperative before he was even aware of his role in the greater scheme of things. While Project Unity had not ushered humans into a new age of immortality as he had once dreamed, it had still changed the lives of Navis and humans, as well as those of the four siblings.

While Fairy tried to present a firm but dedicated facade, the truth was she had grown to love the siblings like a doting but stern aunt from the day of their births. In Ciel, she had found something resembling a sister and in the Imperative and the being sharing his corporeal shell she had found kinship and frustration in equal measure.

"_You never really know where life will lead, do you?"_ she wondered with a wistful sigh. _"I just wonder if I'll ever find…"_

She abruptly interrupted her train of thought, before letting out another sigh.

"_Maybe I've become a little too human…"_

"Auntie, you're spacing out." Amelia remarked, breaking her out of her musings.

Startled back to the present moment, Fairy sighed again.

"_The rest can wait. __I've got enough on my plate keeping an eye on all of them.__"_

The thoughts coursing through the Imperative's mind as he watched his children, however, were of a more somber nature.

"_Even if they don't remember…"_

"_Yeah…"_ the voice in the back of his mind added. _"Even if they don't remember what happened to them, it's left its marks."_

"_They were always like this.__"_ Cadmus thought with a heavy heart. _"Ever since that day when Alouette first awakened… __a__nd again, after they returned to us. __If anything, they're even more protective of each other this time around.__"_

"_We didn't tell them anything __so they wouldn't have to __relive that trauma…" _Cadmus recalled. _"__But the peaceful life we wanted for them didn't last.__"_

"_It doesn't matter."_ the voice in the back of his mind retorted. _"He brought them back. __Now__ it's up to us __to do the rest__."_

The Man From the Stars had changed their lives forever, first by bringing forth visitors from a parallel Earth and then by intervening in the events leading to the Sigma Uprising and its conclusion. He had given the Hikari twins the nudge they needed in order to bring out their growing power, lent his own strength in the fight against Sigma and fetched Lan and Sean from their unplanned trip into what the small group of people aware of those events had eventually started referring to as the Earth next door.

They had not seen the strange man or his two equally baffling companions again for several years, but the results of his actions were still evident. Though they did not know for certain what sort of sorcery he had employed, the Imperative's family were personally grateful to him for his interventions and another, more discreet favor.

"_Things are going to have to change though."_ Cadmus thought, narrowing his eyes. _"How do the twins cope?"_

"_They cope because they must, like they always have."_ the voice in the back of his mind pointed out. _"As for us, the only thing we can do is become strong enough, and we don't need any bullshit relics for that."_

"_Right. We have the Saber and the will. The rest will come in time. But before we do anything else, I need to ask. Do you have any regrets?"_

"_Do you? We may have ended up like this as an accident, but I wanted to stay. To taste life as a man, in an organic body instead of another Copy Bot."_

"_I did some stupid things back then that I'm not proud of…" _Cadmus mused. _"But if you, Ciel and the children are happy and safe, that's all I need."_

"_And there you have it."_

"_I guess all this crap __was __mak__ing me start __second guess__ing__ myself again. Thanks for talking some sense into me for the millionth time… partner."_

"Well then…" Atreus said, oblivious to the silent exchange taking place in front of his eyes. "The others are taking on another battleship farther east. I should…"

Then he let out an involuntary yawn and suddenly realized just how drained he was feeling from the battle and the effort of carrying his sister out of the Hoplon.

"Don't worry about it." Alexander chimed in, standing from his position leaning against a nearby wall. "I'll go. You two get some rest."

"Are you sure you don't…" Atreus tried to say before another yawn, louder than the second, interrupted him.

"You really should listen." Ciel said, before placing a hand on his shoulder. "You can't and shouldn't try to do everything by yourself."

"I don't understand…" Atreus muttered. "The first time I fought, I somehow managed to keep going for nearly two days. Why am I feeling so drained now?"

"Well…" Alexander remarked. "You two were probably the ones pushing yourselves the hardest out there. Not to mention you had to deal with another exertion once you got back."

"Was that a crack about my weight?" Amelia asked, glaring at him.

"That aside, you're still human." Ciel said, looking intently at both her children in turn. "Don't overdo it, please. What you're doing is important, but you need to pace yourself. The others have plenty of backup ready to step in."

"We still don't fully understand how those machines work." Alexander pointed out. "But it's clear they rely on willpower and our mental state. You won't be doing yourself or the others any favors riding into battle again so soon after pulling that stunt."

"I suppose you're right." Atreus reluctantly conceded.

"Don't worry." Fairy reassured him. "The other Guardians are already on their way. They should be arriving soon."

"Come on." Ciel said, grabbing her son's arm. "You need to take better care of yourself."

"Yes Mother…" he muttered, feeling a little awkward as she started leading him towards the elevator.

Despite the circumstances, Alexander and Cadmus couldn't help smiling at the sight of the tall young man so utterly disarmed by his petite mother.

"The same goes for you." Fairy added, staring at Amelia.

"Fine…" she grumbled. "But only for everyone's peace of mind."

With that, she stood from her seat and headed to her room.

"Now this feels familiar." Alexander remarked once his young friends were out of earshot.

"If I know your mother, then she probably acts the same way behind closed doors." Cadmus said.

"Pretty much." Alexander said with a nod. "I know that some of us are treating this whole thing like a grand adventure, but I can't imagine what it must feel like for a parent to have their child fighting in the front lines."

"I'm not particularly devout or anything." Cadmus said somberly. "In fact, a good chunk of the people on the island are agnostic at best, so this is going to sound weird, but… Pray that you never have to find out."

"Well, they're my friends too." Alexander said resolutely. "I'm not letting anything happen to them on my watch. I just hope I can get there in time."

"Go on, then." Cadmus said. "Give them something to remember."

Alexander nodded and started making his way to the hangar where he had left the Leonarch. Along the way, he found Ciel, standing there as if waiting for him.

"Your parents have done a great job raising you." she remarked, casting an appraising glance at the young man.

"So have you raising those two." he replied, raising his gaze towards the upper levels where the living area was located. "I'm guessing they're out cold by now?"

"Didn't even make it to their rooms." Ciel said with a hint of amusement. "Sleeping like babies on the living room couch."

"Really now? Those two never change." Alexander remarked with a knowing smile.

"I do hope they won't change where it counts." Ciel said. "Things are bound to get worse before this is all over. Watch yourself out there, my boy."

"Will do." he said with a polite nod.

"They've been pushing themselves as far as the rest of us." Ciel said with a sigh. "When they're not out there fighting, they're training or visiting the lab in the mainland."

"I wonder if their head of research has something to do about it." Alexander mused. "By all accounts, she's really something."

"What?" he asked, noticing Ciel's grin. "I have eyes!"

"Are you sure you're not projecting?" Ciel playfully retorted. "Then again, I haven't met that young lady yet. I probably should pay X-COM another visit soon."

"A heart to heart then? From one genius to another?"

"Maybe." Ciel said with a shrug. "What did you say she was called? Rachel Thorn?"

"Yes. Why?"

"_Thorn…"_ Ciel pondered, recognizing the name. _"Wasn't that…?"_

"I'll see you later then." Alexander said before continuing on his way.

* * *

A few minutes later, as the Leonarch emerged into the light of day and took to the skies, flying without any visible means of propulsion much like the Apotheosis, Alexander turned his gaze westward.

"No point in plowing through half of Eurasia to get there…" he muttered to himself, estimating the distance.

The Leonarch started picking up speed, startling a flock of seagulls in the distance. So focused was its pilot on reaching his destination that he failed to notice another, much smaller form following him, leaving a faint shimmering trail of purple energy. The masked figure in the armored dress cast a brief glance at the construct and then, with a surge of power it abruptly darted in the same direction he was heading.

"What was that?" Alexander muttered to himself, spotting the brief flare before it faded.

* * *

Around that time, on the other side of the world...

The blue Skyranger came to a halt, overlooking a gathering of alien machines. Rather than cutting a random path of destruction as usual, the infantry models seemed to be intently combing the city for something in a more organized pattern, but the Robot Masters were not about to take any chances.

"That battleship should be getting in range in another couple of minutes." Lan informed through the radio. "Considering it's even bigger than the other, it's safe to assume it's packing even more firepower. Careful out there."

"No holding back!" Shingo growled, already picking up targets during the Drill Machine's descent. Being reduced to a bystander in the X-1's duel had definitely frustrated him and he had the perfect outlet in sight.

"When did we ever?" Raito retorted, doing exactly the same.

"Don't get cocky, kids." Dex warned. "Remember what happened to the X-1 last time."

"Did you ever listen when you were their age?" Chisao pointed out with a knowing smirk.

Above them, the Spark Machine clawed its fingers and crackled with energy, momentarily halting its descent. The targets were locked, the capacitors charged and the pilot fuming.

"Begone buzzards!" Aya shouted with a sweep of her right arm. "THUNDER BREAK!"

From the Spark Machine's outstretched hands twin streams of electricity burst upwards, until they struck a cloud, and then back down, searing a group of alien infantry units below. While Aya and Shingo were barely on speaking terms, they shared the same frustration at not being able to do more for their friends.

"_It looks like Aya is in a bad mood today…"_ Maria noted as she steered the Gemini Machine towards the freshly cleared landing zone.

Throwing subtlety out the window, Shingo fired a burst of Drill Missiles. Two of them struck home and the impact tore an alien machine's head off, sending it rolling across the highway it was standing on and reduced a good portion of the torso to mangled metal.

A second Skyranger, painted in the traditional black color scheme, flew into the scene. Locating an empty parking lot nearby, it momentarily hovered in place above it and then two hatches opened on its sides. A pair of Gespenst units, one white and one red, jumped out, firing their thrusters to break their fall.

"Ah, good." Casval remarked as the Comet touched down. "We're still in time for the festivities."

The other alien units farther out abandoned whatever they were doing and opened fire on the group, but the Gemini Machine's hard light barriers promptly surged into existence, interposing themselves in the path of the shots. Without pausing, the Gemini Machine raised both hands and released a pair of crescent shaped energy waves, which surged forth and cut through an alien machine each.

"_She just keeps getting better at this." _Shingo noted with growing pride as the Gemini Machine gracefully touched down. _"And to think I __was supposed to be here__ to protect her..."_

Despite the sentiment, he still had no intention of lagging behind. Instead, he adjusted the output of the Magnetic Levitation Engine, steering the Drill Machine into an interception course with its wrist mounted drills pointed down.

Ignoring the small caliber shots pelting the outer plating of his machine, he slammed down, plowing through two infantry models before surging forward to drive the drills into the chest of a third. His brief moment of triumph was cut short, however, as an alien rocket struck the back of the Drill Machine. The plating held, but he was still annoyed at being caught off guard.

"Do not simply charge in blindly like a fool!" Aya scolded, before striking the offender with a Spark Shot.

"What do you care?!" he snapped without thinking.

"Hey!" Maria interjected. "Let's not start that again, you two."

"_Not this again…" _Raito thought in annoyance, before promptly destroying the alien machine's launcher with a Metal Blade just to be safe. Some of the other alien pilots shuddered in their cockpits and instinctively got as far away from the intended target as they could.

A trio of infantry models focused fire on the Spark Machine from its left flank, but Aya did not bother dodging. Instead, some sort of golden energy barrier crackled to life around her robot, absorbing the energy projectiles.

"_Looks like the Spark Barrier is holding."_ she thought with a smile._ "The Professors are just amazing."_

The Spark Machine turned to face its assailants and Aya cast a withering glare at the aliens before pinning them in place with a Spark Burst. As if on cue, the Great Harpuia barreled in out of nowhere, holding its wrist blades forward and drilling through the immobilized alien machines.

"That technique again..." Aya muttered to herself, recognizing something familiar in that attack from the old shows Lan had playing on a near constant loop at his office.

The Great Phantom reached into a pouch and started hurling some sort of black pellets that erupted into a strange thick smoke that blinded both the sensors of several alien machines and the eyes of their pilots before moving in for the kill.

"Fricking weeaboo…" Fighter grumbled under his breath, annoyed at his brother's tastes but reluctant to use profanity near the children again after the reprimands from his sister.

The irascible Guardian then proceeded to unload the Great Fefnir's oversized cannons on another group of alien machines, tearing through the shields. The two X-COM pilots seized the opportunity, finishing what he had started with their magnetic auto-cannons.

The arrival of three of the Four Guardians and the two young soldiers definitely made the battle more vicious – and hectic – as they unleashed their arsenal with single-minded fury. After the brief moment of levity, they were definitely getting serious.

More alien units started descending around them, but their design was somewhat different from the typical infantry models, with thicker helmets decorated by a single horn, larger arms and each of them bearing a single orb on its chest where a strange silvery mist churned.

The X-1 fired a burst of Buster shots at one of the new opponents, but just as they were about to hit the target a silvery energy bubble formed around it, absorbing the projectiles.

"Ah, these must be the mid-season upgraded mooks." Raito said, looking unfazed.

"They have shields now?" Shingo asked, somewhat concerned.

"I guess that makes it a fair fight." Raito retorted, rather cockily as the X-1 broke into a sprint towards its target, already charging up the next shot.

"_Those kids have guts, but the longer this goes on the more likely one of them will get hurt."_ Amuro mused.

The thrusters on the white Gespenst flared. In the blink of an eye, it overtook the X-1 and raised its magnetic accelerator rifle, spewing a volley of metallic shards. The target's energy shield shuddered under the onslaught but did not collapse immediately.

This, unit, as it turned out, was not remote controlled or piloted by a rookie soldier. The alien pilot began evasive maneuvers, trying to fire back before his shield was overwhelmed. The X-1 's torso was grazed by the burst, but the alien failed to land a solid hit. Unfortunately for them, their machine found itself on the receiving end of a Spark Shot, which finished off what was left of the barrier.

Before the alien could react to the sudden loss of the shield, this was followed by an Iron Cutter seemingly out of nowhere that nearly took off the robot's left leg, sending it into an awkward tumble. With a satisfied smirk, GutsMan turned his attention back to rushing the enemy right in front of him.

Not bothering with niceties or trying to get the alien to surrender, Casval simply fired up the Arc Thrower module on his Gespenst's right arm, then covered the distance to the immobilized machine before smashing the Jet Magnum's prongs through the cockpit visor and unleashing a jolt of energy upon the hapless occupant. If they survived the battle, the alien pilot would wake up hours later in a holding cell with a headache.

Meanwhile, Maria lingered in the back of the formation, studying the battleground with NumberMan's assistance.

"These new units are all manned." the Navi pointed out. "Are you sure you want to…"

"I'll just have to be extra careful." she said with a determined expression. "But just to be safe, please update the display. Highlight all the new manned units to the team."

"Done." NumberMan said as the display was updated with new data, which he then relayed to the other machines.

The petite girl nodded appreciatively and then rushed forward, summoning five of the Gemini Machine's hard light duplicates. The doppelgangers rushed around the battlefield in a random pattern, making a nuisance of themselves with tackles, punches and dodges, distracting the opposition long enough for the others to take advantage of the confusion.

Meanwhile, the nearly identical cousins found themselves in a heated struggle with a particularly tenacious enemy pilot, trading rapid fire shots without either side being able to land a direct hit.

"Looks like they were saving their best guys." Raito said as a stream of blue energy projectiles barely missed the X-1's head.

"No more messing around." Maito added.

The two tried to recall how they had slipped into Full Synchro twice before, but the power would not readily answer them. The battle was simply too hectic and they couldn't focus. Not letting this frustrate them, they elected to try more of the X-1's arsenal.

"Plan B." Maito said.

"Let's go!" Raito cried out, already going through the weapon selection screen. "Electric Spark!"

The X-1's arm transformed again, launching a burst of purple tinted energy orbs that struck the nearest alien unit, burning through the shields in a few hits.

"And now… Shotgun Ice!" Maito added.

The aptly named weapon burst forth, peppering enemy units with razor sharp shards. The one whose shields they had just burned was soon frozen in place, but two others nearby were still hit by the spread. Seizing an opening, Casval finished off the unshielded alien machine with a magnetic accelerator rifle shot.

"_Our weapons, our robots… __Was all __of __this really made with technology from __our__ world?"_ he silently wondered, watching as his target came to a halt with the power source built into its torso out of commission. Predictably, the two boys quickly moved on to the next opponent, and so he prepared to provide covering fire.

Around the same time, Amuro found himself face to face with two shielded units. Gauging his opponents with measured moves, he switched weapons, then rolled out of the way of a rocket and retaliated with a burst from his magnetic auto-cannon.

"_Guess it's time to try those Split Missiles the Captain __mentioned__."_

He dodged another volley, then as soon as the machine's targeting computer finished locking onto the targets, he pulled the secondary trigger.

The Gespenst ejected a pair of pods from its back, which flew forward above its head towards the two alien machines. Mid-flight, they burst open, releasing clusters of small rockets, which peppered both of them. While they were reeling from the pummeling, Amuro fired his pair of Slash Rippers, which buzzed around and struck them from behind.

The first impacts encountered some resistance, but eventually the shield of the unit to his right collapsed under the sustained onslaught. Amuro finished it off with another auto-cannon burst to the midsection while the unit to his left found itself relieved of a leg by a Metal Blade.

"These things cut through shields too?" Maito said appreciatively. "Nice!"

"Don't get cocky." Maito scolded. "Amuro softened it up for us."

The young MEC Trooper let out the breath he'd been holding, but before he could relax his senses informed him of another threat.

He abruptly looked to the right and barely had enough time to roll out of the way of an incoming rocket. While the explosion did not catch the white Gespenst head on, it was still enough to momentarily blind its sensors. While the machine's systems tried to compensate, he moved in for a Jet Magnum strike. Before he could do so, however, the Guts Machine barreled past, ramming the alien with a full body tackle that sent it tumbling across the pavement. As she watched the battle from the lab, Ms. Yumi couldn't help grinning in satisfaction at her handiwork being put to good use.

The tactical displays on the Robot Masters' machines suddenly beeped in warning and a new reading appeared on the map, heading their way. A massive form loomed on the horizon, drawing steadily closer.

"It looks like it's time for the boss fight." Raito said as the black dagger shaped craft, at least twice the size of its predecessor, disgorged another wave of shielded units from hatches on its underbelly.

"As we suspected, this one is on a completely different level from the first." Asaru remarked as he continued to watch from his office.

"But would they seriously sacrifice an entire battleship as a decoy?" Gilliam wondered.

"They had no compunction against throwing their goons at HQ while they were plundering elsewhere." Asaru pointed out. "They are either callous, desperate or both."

"And we're still no closer to discerning their true goals." Asaru added. "The interrogations so far have been a complete waste of time in that regard."

"We'll just have to wait and see." Gilliam said with a shrug. "Jumping to conclusions at this point won't do us any good."

As their new adversaries showed themselves, the Robot Masters scrambled to cover each other's backs, dashing across the debris-ridden battlefield. The Guardians moved their machines around them in a wide triangle formation, ready to intercept any incoming threats.

"Mine!" Fighter roared, once again unleashing a barrage of fiery projectiles from the Great Fefnir's cannons, punishing the alien units for daring to approach. Sage shifted position and the Great Harpuia took off again, raking them with its wrist blades and further depleting their shields.

"Hey…" Raito realized. "We didn't check if there was anything new in the weapon list after that last fight."

Scanning through it, he found a new unlocked entry.

"Maser Blade? Is that what I think it is?"

"Only one way to find out." Maito said with an excited grin.

After making sure that the others were out of the way, the boys activated the weapon. The X-1's right hand transformed into Buster form, but instead of a bolt an orange tinted energy shaft emerged instead, twice the length of its arm.

"Oh yeah!" both boys cried out excitedly.

Needing no incentive, Raito charged forward, swinging the blade in a wide arc. As it turned out, it was rather effective, disrupting the shields of an enemy machine and cutting through the alien plating like butter. Getting some payback for what the aliens had done to the X-1 in the previous fight was rather gratifying, but the boys still tried in earnest to avoid the cockpit, instead reducing the target to immobile scrap by slashing at its weapons and limbs.

"Oh, it's on!" Raito shouted, tightening his grip on the controls and moving on to do the same to two other units. A rocket struck the center of the X-1's chest, making it shudder and scorching the plating, but the boys ignored the damage and pressed on, slicing through the next rocket mid-air and then proceeding to dismantle two machines, again leaving the cockpits unharmed but thoroughly wrecking most of the rest.

Watching on between firing Gemini Beams at other enemies, Maria couldn't help feeling a little uneasy at their display of destruction.

"The energy drain on this thing is insane!" Maito warned, watching the display like a hawk. "We'll have to use it in short bursts."

"How did that staff pack enough energy to keep it on for so long?" Raito wondered.

"More importantly, what are we going to do about that thing?" Shingo chimed in, turning his gaze to the battleship overhead.

"Are the bastards ignoring us?!" Shingo fumed, glaring daggers at the craft before firing up the Magnetic Levitation Engine and pursuing it from the ground, dashing across the empty road.

The boy steadied his aim and launched a Boost Knuckle at the alien craft's underbelly. While it struck true, caving in a section of the plating, the vessel was undeterred. The aliens aboard retaliated, bringing the ship's swiveling turrets online and unleashing a volley of sulfurous yellow energy projectiles upon the machine.

Unable to dodge in time, Shingo braced for impact, shielding the frontal section with the arms. Maria stifled a gasp and hastily conjured one of her hard light barriers, but some of the shots still broke through, peppering the Drill Machine's surface and leaving it a bit worse for the wear, with scorch marks in various locations and its surface briefly sizzling from the heat. The ship's size was definitely not the only difference from the one Atreus, Amelia and Alexander had previously downed. The weapons also seemed a notch above.

"It's gonna take more than that!" Shingo defiantly proclaimed, before firing a Dill Missile at one of the turrets. He took only the briefest moment to enjoy the small explosion before seeking out another turret to destroy.

"Don't just stand there!" Maria scolded. "Dodge!"

As if on cue, the turrets launched another volley. While the Drill Machine was not as agile as the X-1, the Magnetic Levitation Engine had made it somewhat nimbler and the boy was able to put that to good use, narrowly avoiding the projectiles. As they struck the asphalt, Shingo winced.

"_I guess I can't keep relying on the armor forever…"_

The battle started feeling like it might drag on indefinitely, but the Robot Masters refused to relent. Instead, the Guts Brothers took point and their machine started plowing through the opposition like a raging bull. Instead of trying to break through the alien shields, instead they reverted to their earlier strategy of grabbing one of the enemy machines and using it as a club to pound the others. While it was a crude strategy, it was surprisingly effective. Apparently the shields only accounted for projectiles and melee attacks, not grappling.

"Those three are going full beast mode there…" Shingo remarked with a wince as their improvised club came down again, sending one of its compatriots into an awkward tumble.

"Hey!" Raito shouted. "You're gonna kill someone at this rate!"

"Guess you're right." Chisao acknowledged, changing tactics. The Guts Machine dropped the hapless alien robot and shifted into a traditional fighting stance.

"Think we can pull this off in here too?" GutsMan wondered.

"Only one way to find out." Dex said, cracking his knuckles before gripping his set of controls again.

The Guts Machine seemed to tense up, much like its pilots, before stomping its right foot and raising its right leg. The three inhaled and then sprung into action.

"Shinkyuu…" Dex hissed.

"Tatsumaki!" Chisao growled.

"Senpukyaku!" GutsMan roared.

With its leg raised, the towering robot broke into a mad spin, hovering slightly above the ground, then plowed into the enemy formation, knocking the alien robots around like rag dolls with a furious kick that unleashed a gust of wind in its wake.

"How does something so big move so fast?" Casval wondered, rather dumbfounded.

Sharing the same sentiment, still watching the battle from the other side of the world, Asaru abruptly choked on his drink.

"Just roll with it." Raito retorted with a cheeky grin.

"In the meantime though, what are we gonna do about that thing up there?" Maito added.

"I'm afraid we can't just cut that thing in half like your friends did." Amuro chimed in, nervously watching the craft's trajectory, edging ever closer to the city center.

"Not over land, no." Raito conceded.

"Which means we've got to find a way to lure or push that thing out south beyond the estuary." Casval reasoned, before destroying an alien machine's rifle with a precision shot from his own. The disarmed alien attempted to flee, but a quick Slash Ripper to their robot's left leg disabused them of that notion.

"Well, if we can't shoot it…" Dex said, a little dizzy after the all out attack, but still very much in the fight.

"We can still punch it!" GutsMan added, cracking his knuckles.

With that, the Guts Machine's Magnetic Levitation Engine flared, propelling the bulky robot in the battleship's direction with both fists raised.

"Fly, fist of iron!" Chisao proclaimed.

"ROCKET PUNCH!" GutsMan bellowed, firing the Guts Machine's right fist at the massive craft.

While it shuddered from the impact, it was clearly going to take much more to change its course. The retaliatory fire from the ship's turrets quickly followed, scorching portions of the thick robot's plating.

"Think we should…?" Chisao wondered as the Guts Machine backed away to make another attempt.

"Not yet." Dex answered, shaking his head. "This ain't the time or place to try that."

"_What are those three up to?"_ Shingo wondered, watching them approach the much larger opponent without a care.

The oversized fist reattached itself and the Guts Machine continued its trajectory, ignoring the bursts of incoming fire and the gouges they started tearing into the plating as it winded up its right arm for another blow.

"Let's go!" Dex said.

"Megaton…" Chisao growled.

"PUNCH!" GutsMan roared.

Once again, the craft shuddered as the Guts Machine struck, putting its entire mass into the swing. Still, it wasn't enough.

"Try this on for size!" Shingo shouted, as the Drill Machine's targeting computer locked onto several spots in the superstructure.

"Now is not the time for showing off…" Aya grumbled, rolling her eyes before reaching for the controls. "But if you absolutely must, then do it properly."

"I don't need your approval." Shingo retorted.

"_There they go again…"_ Maria thought with a sigh.

"DRILL MISSILE BARRAGE!" Shingo roared as a fusillade of missiles burst from the Drill Machine, tearing through the battleship's defenders and its outer plating alike. Due to the craft's sheer bulk, however, the missiles seemed almost like pinpricks in comparison.

"You have had your fun." Aya said, sounding unimpressed. "My turn."

With an almost maniacal gleam in her eyes, she released the safeties and thrust the Spark Machine's hands forward. Instead of directing the Energizer at another machine, the reactor instead poured its full output into a sustained burst of fulminating lightning. For a brief moment, Aya lost the practiced composure of a high society heiress, letting out a rather unsettling cackle.

The surface of the alien vessel sizzled as the unbound energy surged through the hull, visibly disrupting the craft's engines as its ponderous trajectory slowly came to a complete halt. Satisfied that it would be unable to fight back or escape for a while, she eventually stopped.

"She does take after her mother." Chisao remarked, completely deadpan.

From the X-1's cockpit, Raito and Maito snickered, knowing that while Yai could have a bit of a temper, she was not prone to such outbursts… at least not in public.

"Now!" Aya called out. "Throw those fools over the horizon!"

Needing little incentive, the Guts Brothers kept going, ramming the battleship in a full body tackle. The alien metal groaned in protest and the craft shuddered.

"Go!" Raito shouted, dialing up the power on the Magnetic Levitation Engine and the Rush Jet, following after the Guts Machine to deliver a few blows of their own.

Meanwhile, the Gemini Machine started shimmering, until it conjured five of its hard light doppelgangers, which quickly rushed to add their strength to the effort, shoving as hard as they could before fading out.

"Keep pushing!" Dex groaned, manhandling the controls. Thankfully, being aware of the Guts Brothers' strength, the twins had had the foresight of making the joysticks and steering handlebars out of Titanium X, or they would have likely snapped.

It was then that someone else joined the battle.

Wrapped in purple energy, an increasingly familiar figure in white soared through the skies, heading directly for the battleship.

"We meet again." Raito remarked, before blasting another of the ship's turrets with a charged Buster shot. Energy overload or not, he didn't want to take any chances so close to them.

"Is that the one who showed up that other time?" Aya asked, taking a moment to admire the armor's design. "Such a graceful figure!"

"_But there is something __rather __unsettling about it right now…"_ she realized with a sudden shudder.

Raito felt it too. While in the previous encounter the strange figure had exuded a sense of warmth and serenity, instead the air seemed to shimmer and crackle with barely contained energy, and the lithe figure was projecting a nearly palpable pressure as it glared at the alien vessel.

"_Somebody else is in a bad mood today…" _he thought, feeling a sudden chill.

"Casval…" Amuro called out, still keeping his machine's magnetic auto-cannon trained on the battleship's hatches in case something else reared its head.

"I feel it…" Casval replied. "What is this pressure in my head?"

"It doesn't feel exactly like that white machine, but I wouldn't want to be in her sights right now." Amuro remarked.

The armored figure raised both its hands forward and clawed its fingers. The air around the alien craft began to stir and, with strained groans, some of the plating began to bend as if crushed by colossal invisible hands.

"No doubt about it…" Asaru remarked as he watched the engagement through the local X-COM forces' camera feed. "Psionic… and considerably powerful at it."

With the combined efforts, the alien vessel was forced further away from land, sliding southward towards the sea in an unsteady trajectory.

"And one more for the win…" Dex huffed, getting ready to charge again.

"Wait!" Maria called out, struck by a sudden flash of inspiration. "We need to be smart about this."

Deducing her train of thought, Aya nodded.

"Remember. Force equals mass times acceleration. The Guts Machine has the former and the X-1's Rush Jet has the latter, so…"

"Exactly!" Maria said with a grin.

"Why didn't we think of that?!" Raito chided himself.

Watching from the lab, Lan and Hub exchanged grins. Hub had been just about to suggest the same thing and seeing the young pilots demonstrating their resourcefulness filled both of them with pride.

"I'm not sure if it's gonna fit." Dex pondered. "Those docking clamps weren't made for the Guts Machine's size."

"Still worth a shot though." Chisao said.

With that, the Guts Machine and the X-1 backed away.

"We'll handle the Rush Jet's steering from here." Lan chimed in.

"You guys just focus on hitting that thing as hard as you can." Hub added.

Next to them, Ms. Yumi watched on, silently assisting with the trajectory calculations. Truth be told, she was struggling to conceal her excitement, mostly out of fear of accidentally outing herself.

The X-1 detached from the Rush Jet, staying in the air solely through the Magnetic Levitation Engine's power. The add-on then made its way to the back of the Guts Machine and the docking clamps opened as wide as they possibly could.

"Here goes nothing…" Lan said, trying to complete the docking sequence.

"The waist is too wide." Ms. Yumi pointed out. "It won't fit like that."

"Go for the arm!" Hub suggested.

Lan nodded and adjusted the trajectory, moving the Rush Jet's wings to a vertical position and attaching the docking clamps to the Guts Machine's right arm.

"Bit weird, but it'll do." Dex said with a grin. "Now let's send these clowns packing!"

"_Dad and Uncle Tetsuya will definitely love to meet this bunch."_ Ms. Yumi thought as a smile crept over her face. _"__I suppose I'll have to put something __together __for the Guts Machine later too. Maybe a Great Booster?"_

The Guts Machine soared with redoubled speed, circling around the alien craft and positioning itself north of it. There were no ships or other objects in the immediate trajectory to worry about and so the plan continued. The flying colossus backed away as the pilots put themselves far enough from the alien craft to build up momentum. Satisfied, Dex nodded.

"Fire it up bro!"

Lan did just that, dialing up the Rush Jet's thrusters to full blast. The Guts Brothers found themselves pressed against their seats by the sudden burst of speed, but their resolve did not waver.

"Screw the copyrights!" Dex bellowed, giddy and a little dizzy. "SCRANDER PUNCH!"

With a thunderous crash that send shockwaves reverberating through the air, the Guts Machine drove its fist forward at a speed comparable to a jet fighter's. The impact knocked the flying behemoth clear of the city and a good distance over the sea.

Winded up after such a blow, Dex took a moment to look at the Guts Machine's mangled fist. The impact had been a bit too much for the imperfect Titanium X and their machine would need repairs later, but the attack had been undeniably effective. One of the Rush Jet's wings had also snapped, likely due to the alloy being cut so thinly in that section, but the thrusters themselves still seemed to be working.

"And now…" Dex panted, preparing to renew his onslaught.

Suddenly, the Guts Brothers tensed, sensing a familiar presence, and glanced around in time to catch a glimpse of a human-sized shape leaping from the top of a shoreline skyscraper and darting through the air in a blur.

"Was that…" Chisao muttered.

His thoughts were interrupted as a small explosion erupted on the massive craft's upper surface.

"What was that?!" the alien commander inside shouted from his seat in the bridge.

"Unknown, sir!" an adjutant said. "That area should still be outside their weapons range."

"Damage report!"

"Anti-air batteries in sections 11 and 32 are in pieces after that last impact." the aide reported apprehensively. "We can barely stay airborne. If they keep pounding us like this we're done for!"

The ship started drifting further off course, veering further southward.

"The stabilizers are failing! We're losing balance!"

"Sir!" another adjutant cried out in alarm. "Incoming camera feed! It's..."

"What?!" the commander shouted. "What is it? A new weapon?"

"Sir..." the second adjutant said hesitantly. "It's a human!"

"What?!"

"A single human, sir. Male, indeterminate age, unarmed… wearing some sort of… traditional outfit..."

"WHAT?! How did he get up there?!"

Inside the X-1's systems, Iris diligently sought out any devices she could use to get a view of what was happening at that altitude. After a few seconds, she found an old government satellite with a suspiciously powerful camera and cut through the security systems with ridiculous ease.

"_Holy…"_ Iris thought, her eyes widening in recognition. _"What's he doing here?"_

Atop the massive battleship, the man stood, unbothered by the winds at that altitude.

He was tall, projecting a serene yet imposing presence, with short dark hair decorated with a red bandanna and brown eyes, clad in a simple sleeveless white gi and a black belt. His age was difficult to determine, seemingly somewhere between his twenties and thirties, though the sheer presence he projected threw any estimates out the window. Through his stoic countenance, the faintest hint of a mischievous smirk emerged.

Iris surreptitiously forwarded the live feed to the monitors of the Robot Masters' machines and the Guts Brothers stared incredulously for just a moment, until recognition dawned on them.

"Kids…" Dex said with a predatory grin. "Back away."

"What?" Aya asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"You're gonna see some fireworks." GutsMan added, flashing an identical grin.

"_This technique __is __capable of sinking islands..."_ the man thought, looking at his raised fist. _"Let us see what it __can__ do here."_

"Sir!" one of the aliens cried out in alarm. "He's doing… something! His hand is…!"

Ryu's right fist glowed with a fierce, flaming bluish-white light as he raised it into the air.

"Kongou... Kokuretsuzan!"

He then launched into a vertical jump and slammed his fist into the craft's surface on the way down. A ludicrously massive burst of energy erupted from the point of impact, spreading vertically, pulverizing the metal of the hull and everything else along its path until the battleship literally cracked in two and tumbled into the South China Sea, kicking up a massive water spout.

"What the hell was that?!" Raito cried out.

Dex's laughter echoed through the communications channel.

"I'll tell you what that was." answered, sounding as giddy as a boy watching his favorite superhero show. "That was my old Master showing us kids a thing or two."

"I guess you weren't kidding…" Shingo said, recalling some of the stories he'd heard before as he straightened his glasses. "Is he even human?"

The Guardians simply exchanged awkward glances.

"_It looks like he's gotten even stronger than last time." _Fighter thought.

"He's not gonna turn evil and attack us with a silk scarf and giant robot zombies, is he?" Raito asked with his usual dose of irreverence.

"Don't be silly." Dex replied, between laughs. "He doesn't wear pink and doesn't even have a mustache."

"_Speakin' of wearin' pink…"_ GutsMan thought. _"I wonder what happened to that other guy."_

While everyone else watched the aftermath of the battleship's destruction, the figure in the armored dress quietly slipped away. However, its trajectory seemed a little off, slightly erratic.

"Stay here." Sage said, glancing at the other Guardians.

And with that, the Great Harpuia took off in the same direction.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the base hidden underneath the Black Forest…

"What in the world…" Asaru muttered, watching the scene unfold on one of his monitors.

"Ah yes." Gilliam said. "The notorious Wandering Master of the Fist. It seems his reputation is far from exaggerated."

"I need a drink…" Asaru muttered, sinking into his chair and placing a hand on his forehead as if on the verge of a migraine.

"Strange though…" Gilliam noted. "If I recall, he's supposed to be at least fifty years old by now, but he certainly doesn't look a day over twenty."

"To think that people like this exist on this world…" Asaru mused. "At this rate I may need to reconsider my stance on Project Geist…"

"Geist?" Gilliam asked, visibly tensing up at the mention of the name.

"The psionics program." Asaru clarified. "I suppose Moira's habit of assigning code names to research projects rubbed off on me."

* * *

A good distance away from the battlefield, a cloaked alien machine watched. Inside, the female pilot was dividing her attention between conversing with someone and monitoring the situation further.

"My Lord… the situation continues to degrade."

"What of the mission?" a male voice asked, calm and composed.

"Xelmath has acquired some artifact samples, but… I fear the bulk of the forces here are more concerned with venting their frustrations."

"And the state of the planet?"

"The natives are showing a surprising amount of resistance. Their capabilities far exceed what the initial scouts estimated."

"If the conflict continues to escalate, there may not be much left by the end of it."

"How much time do we still have, My Lord?"

"Difficult to say. The main fleet was delayed, but we will need to make a decision soon enough."

"There is… something else, My Lord."

"Yes?"

"The Machine Soul that has humiliated Belphes twice… It may…"

"It may…?"

"It may hold what we seek."

There was a long pause and then the male voice spoke again.

"Are you certain of this?"

"Not yet… but… It has already exhibited something resembling the Unison Trance mentioned in the ancient texts on two separate occasions."

Another long pause followed.

"My Lord?" she called out.

"Continue to monitor the situation and avoiding contact with either side. I will be in touch soon."

* * *

Once the tension of battle subsided and the X-COM recovery teams arrived at the scene, the Robot Masters gathered. Collateral damage had been thankfully limited, but they were still left with many unanswered questions.

"So you're Master Ryu." Shingo said, a little taken aback. "I would have expected you to look a little… older."

"Yeah…" Dex added. "What gives, Master? You look like you haven't aged a day in twenty years."

"I am as perplexed by this as you are." Ryu explained. "In fact, it is part of the reason why I left."

"There you are!" another voice intervened.

The others glanced in its direction and saw a middle-aged but exceptionally fit man with long golden hair tied in a ponytail, starting to gray at the temples and a matching beard. Much like Ryu, he was wearing a sleeveless gi, only red.

"Is that who I think it is?" Shingo asked.

"C'mon bro!" the man said, staring at Ryu. "Don't just go running off like that."

"I merely seized the opportunity." Ryu stated, with a hint of mischief seeping through his usually stoic expression.

"I swear, you only get worse with age." the man playfully scolded, before turning to Dex. "Yo Dex! It's been a while."

"It sure has Ken." Dex acknowledged. "But when did you two get here?"

"Four." a familiar woman's voice corrected.

Two women, seemingly in their twenties, stepped into view.

The first was wearing a sleeveless white gi with a black belt and a pair of red running shoes. A white bandanna was tied around her forehead, though there wasn't much apparent need for it seeing how her hair was cut at neck length in a rather tomboyish fashion. Her brown eyes glanced around and a smile bloomed on her soft face as she recognized some of the people present.

"Of course you'd be here too." Dex remarked with a grin.

"Somebody has to keep an eye on these two." the woman said with a smirk.

The second woman, however, they did not recognize. She seemed slightly younger, and was wearing a black jacket, open over a red buttoned shirt with an Eastern style serpentine dragon embroidered over the left side of the chest, blue jeans and a pair of sturdy black hiking boots. Her face bore clear evidence of Asian ancestry, with almond-shaped green eyes and round cheeks, and her black hair was caught in a bun.

"A pleasure to meet you." she said with a polite nod. "I am Li Li."

"Nice to meet you." Dex said, shifting back to formal enunciation in the presence of a stranger. "I didn't know the Masters had taken another pupil."

"I am not their pupil." she clarified. "I am here for a different reason."

"Her grandma asked her to give us a hand with our little investigation." Ken explained. "The reason why Ryu and Sakura here haven't aged a day in twenty years."

"That was why we left." Ryu reiterated.

"Not that we're much closer to finding the truth…" Sakura lamented.

"Just when did this start?" Dex asked, still trying to process the situation.

"Some thirty years ago, give or take." Sakura recalled. "We've been all over the world, looking for clues and consulting some of our more mystically inclined friends."

"So you stopped aging?" Shingo chimed in. "You do look like you could pass for someone younger than the Master."

"It is unnatural." Ryu said with certainty. Though he masked it well, Dex could tell that his old master was unsettled.

"_I can think of worse things than remaining at your prime indefinitely…"_ Aya mused.

"We came to this region a month ago, seeking another source of insight." Ryu added. "We were not expecting this invasion, however."

"So what exactly are you looking for?" Dex asked.

"We do not know." Ryu said. "Only that there is a peculiar energy in the air that seems to be… calling out to us."

"We managed to narrow it down to an old section of this city, but then the aliens came in." Sakura elaborated.

"I must confess…" Li Li admitted. "I always thought Grandma was exaggerating some things, but after what I've seen here today…"

"So, what's the plan?" Raito asked, excited at the prospect of a little adventure between battles.

"The plan is for you kids to stick to your machines until we get back." Dex said.

"Aw c'mon!" Raito protested.

"Listen." Dex said, placing one of his massive hands on the boy's shoulder. "We don't know if the aliens are bringing any more of their buddies. We can't all be wandering around outside the machines."

Sensing the boy's reluctance, Dex insisted.

"Besides, some folks around here might need help. You know the aliens usually make a mess."

"Fine." Raito conceded. "But if you find anything interesting, we wanna hear every detail."

"We're staying in the area for a while longer." Casval informed through the radio. "The Commander tasked us with making sure the local civilians are safe before we head back to base."

"The more the merrier." Shingo said, impressed by their prowess and glad to have two extra pairs of hands around.

A few moments later, the Leonarch flew into view and touched down nearby.

"Looks like I missed the party." Alexander remarked.

"Pretty much, yeah." Maito said. "What happened?"

"Not much. I just had to drop those two off at home first. Amelia needed some rest and to get the Hoplon patched up."

"Did something happen to her?" Raito asked worriedly.

"Just some bruises." Alexander clarified. "That bomb drone did a number on the Hoplon though. It was dangerous to let it go around like that."

"And Atreus?" Raito asked.

"That last fight took a lot out of him. When your mother tells you to stay put, you'd better listen."

"Yeah…" Raito muttered, knowing how fierce his own mother could be at times. "Anyway, you two aren't the only ones with neat swords now."

And with that, he ignited the Maser Blade for a short demonstration.

"So you copied that alien weapon from last time, eh?" Alexander deduced.

"Yeah." Maito chimed in. "Unfortunately it eats up energy like crazy. I wonder if our Dads have something better in the works."

"Where are the Guts Brothers anyway?" Alexander asked, noticing the conspicuously motionless Guts Machine.

"They ran off somewhere to check something with their old master." Raito said. "I would have gone with them but Dex wanted us to stay in case someone needed help or the aliens came back."

One look at the younger boy's face told Alexander all he needed to know.

"You're just dying to find out what they're doing, aren't you?"

"Yeah… but…" Raito said.

"Well then… Seeing how I'm late, why don't you go on ahead?"

"B-But…" Raito said hesitantly.

"Don't worry, I'll pick up the slack." Alexander said. "I've had time to rest a bit on the trip here, so if anyone needs help or anything else happens I'll handle it."

Raito exchanged glances with his cousin and then looked back at Alexander.

"Thanks buddy." he finally said with a smile.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Through winding streets, Ryu's search took him to one of the oldest sections of the city, where the traditional architectural styles of the region were still prevalent. The streets were still deserted in the wake of the alien attack, but there was a tension in the air.

"Do you feel this?" he asked, glancing at his old pupil.

"Something doesn't feel right." Dex confirmed with a nod.

"There." Sakura realized, pointing in the direction of a small park decorated with a modest old shrine. Some sort of explosion, possibly from a stray alien rocket, had thoroughly ruined the stone structure and whatever statues had once ornamented it had been reduced to splintered stone.

As the group stepped closer, they realized that something was amiss. Underneath where the base of the statue had once stood, a large gaping hole was exposed, large enough for a person to climb through. Not only that, but they could see lights coming from inside.

It did not take any words for them to decide what to do next. Without hesitation, Ryu jumped inside, landing with a crouch on what looked like a surprisingly ample grotto. Instead of the darkness one would have expected, he instead found the light of several chemical flares and heard the sound of boots on the humid rock.

The others soon followed, one at a time, and Ryu promptly gestured at them to remain silent. As quietly as they could they continued onward, on the lookout for any unpleasant surprises. Eventually they reached a narrower section of the cave, where only one person at a time could walk, and realized that they were not alone.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Dex whispered at the sight of what looked like armed mercenaries in tactical vests, all bearing the same insignia – a golden hand with clawed fingers, grasping a crimson flame.

"That insignia…" Chisao remarked, keeping his voice down. "Didn't one of them show up to talk to Lan and Hub some time ago?"

"Do you know who they are?" Ryu asked.

"Only a name. Prometheus." Chisao explained. "But some of our new friends don't seem to like them too much."

"Then we shall uncover the truth behind their presence here." Ryu said without a hint of hesitation.

Deciding that the time for stealth was past, Ryu took point and walked up to them in slow, measured steps.

The armed men tensed up, betraying no expression through the black visors on their helmets. They made no obvious aggressive gestures, but they still did not give way.

"What are you doing here?" Ryu asked evenly.

"You don't need to know that." one of the guards retorted. "If you're not authorized to be here, then I suggest you leave."

"_At least they're not stupid enough to pick a fight with the Master…"_ Dex thought, trying to read their body language. _"Good thing we had the kids stay put."_

"Guys!" Raito suddenly intervened, stepping in view with his cousin by his side.

"_Damnit__…__"_ Dex thought with a wince.

"What are you two doing here?" Chisao asked. "I thought we asked you to stay put."

"Alex offered to cover for us." Raito explained. "Things are quiet topside anyway."

"He'll let us know if anything happens." Maito added. "It's important for us to be here."

"Why?" Dex asked.

"Oh come on!" Raito said. "Your Master came all the way here for this. It's gotta be something important!"

"Besides, you sing the guy's praises to high heaven." Maito added. "We had to take the chance to meet him."

"That does sound like something Alex would do…" Chisao conceded. "But you should have said something to us first. What if you got lost?"

"But…" Raito tried to argue.

"Boys…" Dex said, before letting out a sigh. "What am I gonna tell your parents if anything happens to you? You're my responsibility. You're my best friends' kids."

The nearly identical cousins were definitely not accustomed to seeing this side of their coach. Despite his towering size and intimidating physique, the display of concern in his expression and tone made them feel a pang of guilt.

"Sorry…" Raito said, lowering his head.

"We just…" Maito added, just as downcast.

"Guess I should have expected that from Hikari boys." Dex grumbled. "Well, since you're here, you might as well come along. Just stick close."

Seeing their regret quickly replaced by excitement, he raised a finger.

"But! If it gets dangerous, you stay back. Especially you, Patch!"

"Yes, Coach." Raito said, relieved that he hadn't made him too upset.

One of the guards discreetly reached for his helmet's microphone, taking advantage of the helmet's sound dampening properties.

"Mr. Sardonicus, we have a problem."

"I thought the aliens had been expelled from the city." Hades answered.

"They have. But the Robot Masters and some associates are trying to access the site. You did instruct us to notify you immediately in case of any direct interactions with them."

"How did they even find that location?" Hades asked.

"No idea, sir. They had no reason to come this way."

Hades quickly weighed his options. The artifact inside had resisted any attempts at studying it, but the staff onsite had already reported sensing a strange energy emanating from it that they could not identify or quantify.

"_I wonder…"_ he thought, scratching his chin. In a moment, he made up his mind.

"Let them in, but don't share any unnecessary information. We'll see if they manage to get a reaction from the artifact."

"Yes sir. We will inform you if there are any changes in the situation."

"One more thing." Hades added.

"Sir?"

"Since the Robot Masters are openly working with X-COM, we'll probably need to clear the site soon before they start sticking their noses in too."

"We will have to do so without the artifact then, sir. None of our tools could dislodge it and anything more extreme could easily bring the cave down on our heads."

"Fine." Hades said with a sigh. "We've extracted as much as we could from that thing anyway. We know there's something there but there's no reaction."

"_I know a thing or two about handling artifacts of destiny…"_ Hades mused. _"If I'm right, then this thing is waiting for the right person to come along."_

With slow, deliberate movements, the guards stepped out of the way, letting them further into the cave. The passageway widened and in to their surprise they realized that a square section of the floor was actually covered not by rock but by tiles. In the center of the chamber they saw a strange rectangular stone slab, seemingly embedded into the ground, carved into what looked like a very old depiction of a dragon.

"There is no doubt about it…" Ryu said, stepping forward. "This..."

"This is…" he muttered as he ran a hand across the surface of the slab.

He stood transfixed in place, wide-eyed, and as the others watched on, he suddenly found himself in a sea of endless blackness, unable to see or hear anything at all.

Then, breaking the silence, he heard the sound of a heartbeat, and the blackness parted, revealing a large golden eye with a strange black pupil, shaped like a vertical slit. Unflinching, Ryu stared back, and a deep guttural voice echoed across the empty void. He did not recognize the language, but he had the distinct feeling that he had heard it before. It seemed familiar, stirring a strange sensation in his heart.

With that, the strange vision abruptly ended and Ryu found himself standing in front of the slab again.

"You OK buddy?" Ken asked.

"I do not know." Ryu said, visibly drained by the experience and the preceding exertion. "It feels as though I have gained something by coming here… but I am not yet certain what exactly."

* * *

A vast distance away, in a strange garden floating above a seemingly endless sea of clouds, Raziel abruptly stopped his reading and closed his eyes.

"The ward has been tripped." he muttered to himself. "This could only mean one thing..."

He let out a loud sigh and rested his chin on his knuckles, before summoning a strange silvery medallion into his open right hand, forged in the shape of a dragon. The teardrop shaped gem set in its center shimmered.

"I suppose it was inevitable that we would meet again… old friend."

* * *

The group left the cave some time later and returned to where the others were waiting.

"It looks like we didn't need to dig anyone out of the rubble this time." Shingo said, visibly relieved.

"It does seem that the aliens were completely ignoring everything else this time." Aya remarked. "I do not understand."

"Neither do we." Ryu said. "Yet."

"So what's the plan, Master?" Dex asked.

"I need to meditate on these events and try to discern the next step." Ryu said. "But it does seem that our search will need to be postponed, given recent events."

"You mean…?" Dex asked, trying to conceal his excitement.

"We do not hone our fists merely to find the truth in the heart of battle." Ryu said. "If we do not protect the innocent, then our strength serves no purpose."

"I hear you buddy." Ken said. "Guess that's one thing that's never gonna change."

"Sometimes I wonder if I could have followed your path, Master." Dex said, staring at Ryu. "Guess I wasn't strong enough."

"It is not a life for everyone." Ryu said, shaking his head. "As the years pass, I often find myself questioning my choices."

"You, Master?" Chisao asked.

"It is easy for those without attachments to preach the virtues of a detached path." Ryu said. "But if you neglect those around you to grow your strength, is that not an act of selfishness?"

"Is that what you meant all those years ago?" Dex recalled.

"Indeed." Ryu said. "The image of a sage atop his mountain loses its luster when others suffer and he does nothing."

"I suppose even someone as stubborn as you can learn a thing or two." Sakura said.

"Yeah…" Ken chimed in. "Speaking of which… I really need to phone home. Eliza was mad enough that I didn't head back when this whole alien invasion crap started. If she doesn't hear from me soon…"

"You certainly know a lot of interesting people." Casval remarked, disembarking from his Gespenst.

"I know, right?" Raito replied. "Maybe I should start a scrapbook."

"We must return home." Phantom said, succinct as always.

"Give us a call if you need a hand again." Fighter added, for once with a genuine smile instead of his usual smirks and grins.

* * *

A few hours later, at the Hikari Laboratory…

"And that's that." Raito said with a sigh of relief as the X-1 began its descent towards the hangar hatch.

"That… was really something." Shingo said, still struggling to process what he had seen.

Lan, Hub, Mayl and Roll were already there waiting for them, along with Higsby and Yai. For whatever reason, Roll was wearing a white labcoat on top of her pink dress.

"We cannot begin to tell you how proud we are of your courage… and your growing prowess." Yai said with a smile.

"Not to mention that you keep coming back without a scratch." Higsby added. "The machines can be repaired or replaced. You can't."

"Our family chefs have prepared a little something for you all." Yai announced.

She then turned to Higsby.

"Go on ahead. We'll join you in a moment."

With that, the young pilots and their coaches followed Higsby to a meeting room where a veritable feast awaited them. Mayl and Roll exchanged glances and a nod, and Roll stayed behind as well.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Yai's expression turned serious again.

"So…" she said. "Are we proceeding as planned?"

"After what happened last time, we've been pushing even harder to get it done." Hub said. "I think the Guts and Drill Machines can keep going a little longer with their armor plating and the Spark and Gemini with their barriers, but…"

"I'm not gonna lie." Lan added. "What happened last time has me worried."

"Those two larger machines were ridiculously powerful compared to the rank and file." Yai said with a nod. "And now they are deploying more advanced models alongside those flying monstrosities."

"I expect things are only going to get more dangerous from here on out." Lan said. "Even if we have all those new weapons and a guy who can punch battleships in half, we can't slack on this."

"But thinking back to the attack on the lab, we can't afford to have all our machines down or away at the same time." Hub added. "For now we're getting the X-1's upgrade parts. Between the others and the Proto Machine, we shouldn't be caught off guard again."

"Speaking of which…" Lan said, staring intently at Yai. "I don't suppose he's changed his mind?"

"You know he can be as stubborn as you." Yai said with a pained expression.

"Just what exactly happened, anyway?" Lan insisted. "He was so excited about this… by his standards, at least, and then he went all quiet."

"I'm sorry." Yai said. "He asked me not to discuss the matter with anyone. Especially you. But I can tell that this is paining him as well."

"That husband of yours was always stubborn." Roll chimed in with a pensive frown. "He may have mellowed out with age, but that hasn't changed."

"It's fortunate, then, that I'm more stubborn." Yai retorted with the hint of a grin. "I suppose I'll just have to take an indirect approach."

"Then…" Lan tried to say.

"Talk to him." Yai said, giving him a pleading look. "I cannot talk sense into him regarding this matter, but maybe you can."

"And if that fails…" Roll added with a mischievous smile. "We'll just have to think of something else."

"I have to ask…" Yai said, glancing at her. "Why the wardrobe change?"

"Oh, there was nothing to do at SciLab now that Yuichiro and Regal sent everyone home." Roll explained. "The kids will be fine with their grandparents, so I thought I'd make myself useful here."

"And the labcoat?" Yai insisted.

"It's one of mine." Hub explained with an awkward smile. "She said it would help her get in the mood."

"You should wear these more often." Roll said, absolutely beaming. "Do you have any idea how great you look in them? In fact, if we get you a turtleneck sweater and some round glasses like X's then maybe…"

"I'm not a doll, Roll…" Hub protested, starting to get a little embarrassed.

"I disagree." she retorted, lightly tugging at his cheeks. "I could just..."

"Do you two need some alone time?" Lan teased, flashing a smug grin.

"Maybe later." Roll answered before abruptly puffing her cheeks and pointing at him. "But you, mister! You'd better start coming home at decent hours. You don't want Mayl getting grumpy."

"Did she put you up to this?" Lan asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh please." Roll retorted, puffing her cheeks again. "You know if she wanted to, she'd just tell you off. But she knows what you're doing here is important, so she doesn't complain… unless you make a really bad joke."

"That's what I keep telling him." Hub said. "I've been trying to take on more of the work so he'll actually rest and spend some more time at home."

"You know I can have a one track mind." Lan said. "But yes, I know I've gotta stop doing this."

"At least you stopped guzzling coffee like a maniac." Hub conceded. "But come on. Trust the people around you."

"You're right." Lan said with a nod. "I've got you here and now Roll. I've got a small army of engineers, Tron and Sayaka."

"The kids love spending time with you, too." Roll added, her expression softening. "They keep asking for Net Battling coaching and stories of the old days."

"I won't be able to give them a proper demonstration without Hub…" Lan noted. "But yeah… I think I can still teach them a thing or two."

"I'll get the tournament footage and some snacks ready by the time you get home." Roll said. "Don't keep them waiting."

During all of this, those present in the hangar failed to spot the dark-haired boy, clad in a striped shirt, shorts and running shoes, sitting atop the X-1's head. He adjusted his cap and frowned, resting his hand over his chin. Once everyone else had left, he patted the blue robot's head.

"They really are something…" he muttered to himself. "And so are you, big guy. But this is still far from over."

He then sighed.

"Well then… Let's see…"

The boy started humming a strange melody to himself and then raised his hand and reached for the X-1's forehead. As he did so, his hand started glowing with a white radiance. He let his touch linger for a few more moments, then abruptly disappeared in a flash of white before reappearing atop the Guts Machine's head and doing the same. He repeated the process with each of the Robot Masters' machines, then reappeared in the middle of the deserted hangar, contemplating his handiwork.

"That should hold them a little longer." he muttered to himself.

With that, he stretched his limbs and then broke into a sprint towards the back of the hangar, building up speed. Right before hitting the back wall, he abruptly disappeared in another flash.

* * *

Meanwhile, standing on the rooftop, a very excited Axl was gazing into the distance.

"_Those kids are going places."_ he thought._"Too bad our Ciel is still sticking to her no giant robots rule."_

A smile crept across his face as he recalled words he had heard long before from the mouth of a precocious girl.

"_But Zero… You may person sized, but after all the stuff you, X and Axl did, wouldn't it be fair to call you Super Robots?"_

Then he noticed the pair of Gespenst landing outside, next to the parking lot and the two pilots that climbed out of them.

"Wait a minute…" he muttered to himself as he spotted the two young men in X-COM piloting suits.

"No way…" Axl muttered, edging closer to the safety railing to get a better look.

"_You __were__ holding out on me, X."_ he thought with a wide grin. _"__Do __the kids__ even know who __they__'ve got here?"_

* * *

"Are you one of the Professors' assistants?" Casval asked as he spotted the young woman standing at the reception. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms…"

"Yumi." she said, looking slightly tense for whatever reason.

"Really?" Casval asked, a little surprised as he took a good look at her face. "The name does fit."

"She knows." Chisao said, stopping by on his way to join the others. "And she really doesn't like being reminded of it."

"_I really should have picked a better alias…" _Ms. Yumi fumed inwardly._"I guess I brought this upon myself."_

"But where are my manners?" Casval added with a polite nod. "I'm-"

"I know who you care, Captain." Ms. Yumi cut him off, trying to stay calm and collected.

"I can't leave you alone for five minutes…" Amuro interrupted with a smile, glancing at his colleague. "Remember, you're engaged."

"You wound me." Casval retorted in mock offense. "I just wanted to know the people helping those brave kids."

"_I should have expected to run into them eventually…"_ Ms. Yumi thought, completely aghast. _"But I wasn't prepared for this."_

"Are you all right, Miss?" Amuro asked. "You look a bit pale."

"I-I'm fine." she replied, carefully backing away. "I just need to sit down for a while."

With that, she stepped out of the lobby, oblivious to Axl watching the entire exchange from out of sight, and made her way to the ground floor break room.

"_Even if they're not the same people… it's still too much…"_

She grabbed a can of juice from one of the large fridges and sank into the nearest couch before popping it open.

"_They really have no idea, do they? But it won't do any good to tell them."_

"There you are." a woman's voice said.

Ms. Yumi glanced in the direction of the voice to find a slender black-haired woman with a round face and gray almond-shaped eyes staring intently at her. She was wearing a loose fitting white dress with peach colored stripes and baggy sleeves, a long skirt, also peach colored, comfortable black shoes and a yellow silk scarf. Her hair was tied in an elaborate braid, held in place by a golden brooch with an amethyst at the center clasped near her right temple.

"Are you not joining the others upstairs?" she asked.

"Sorry Dr. Jasmine. I completely forgot."

"Come then." Jasmine said with a smile. "Lan isn't the only one around here who needs to take better care of himself."

Ms. Yumi nodded, knowing better than to argue with the strong-willed doctor. As the resident medical expert for the Robot Masters, she was more than equipped to deal with stubborn people.

"While we're at it…" Jasmine added. "Has there been any change in your condition?"

"M-My…" Ms. Yumi stammered, momentarily forgetting her hastily cooked cover story. "Oh right. No."

"It is one of the strangest cases I have ever seen." Jasmine said, with a pensive frown. "The trigger may have been psychological, seeing how there was a complete lack of brain damage."

"I… suppose so."

Jasmine then spotted the two young men in piloting suits, wandering around and looking a bit lost.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" she asked.

"Where is everyone?" Amuro asked.

"Enjoying a meal together, courtesy of our sponsors." Jasmine said. "Since you've come all the way here, why not join us?"

* * *

Meanwhile, at the base underneath the Black Forest…

"They've definitely taken to those Gespenst units you prepared for them like fish to water." Asaru noted.

"If anything, they are consistent in that regard." Gilliam said with a nod. "Every single version of them that I've met had an unnatural talent for piloting."

"I just wonder…" Asaru said, completely deadpan. "If their performance would improve even further if we got them a couple of those… What were they called? Huckebein?"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Gilliam retorted, leering at Asaru.

* * *

A few hours later…

As the Great Harpuia began its approach to the hangar entrance, the erstwhile passenger perched on its shoulder stood up, nodded appreciatively and then hopped off, flying in a different direction wrapped in the eerie purple glow.

Moments later, the glow faded and the figure in the armored dress touched down on a metallic landing platform, mounted on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Someone else was already waiting, clad from head to toe in a black suit of light armor fashioned from a strange synthetic material.

Out of breath, with a bent knee, she rested an armored hand on the platform.

"Are you all right?" the figure in black asked with the voice of a man, stepping closer to help her up.

"Head hurts a bit…" the figure in white said with a woman's voice, sounding out of breath. "Guess I overdid it."

"I don't want to be a jerk, but I warned you." the figure in black said, offering a hand.

"Sorry to be such a handful." she said with a sigh, taking the offered hand, then letting him help her up. Once she was back on her feet, she rested her head against his chest for a moment.

"We promised to stick with you through the good and the bad, didn't we?" he retorted, patting the top of her helmet.

He let out a sigh and wrapped an arm around her.

"We don't have the right to try to stop you. We just wish you'd be a little more careful."

"Sorry…" she repeated.

"Don't be silly." he retorted. "We'd be right there with you if we could. Now come on. Your bath is ready and we managed to put some things together in the kitchen."

Without hesitation, he picked her up.

"Smooth." she teased.

"It's been a while since I got to do this." he fondly reminisced, before carrying her inside, through a set of reinforced metal doors that parted automatically and then closed again behind them.

Another hour later…

"You've been pushing yourself too far, as usual." he muttered to himself, glancing in the direction of the petite form, fast asleep under a white sheet. She would likely not wake up for several more hours.

"Time for us to get serious too." he added, clenching his gloved fist.

With that, he exited the chamber, walked through a hallway completely lined in metal and made his way to an elevator, emerging a few floors below. He reached another metallic door with a keypad, entered an access code and stepped inside. In the next chamber over he came face to face with a large metallic hoop, suspended in a vertical position by a series of metal beams affixed to the walls, floor and ceiling.

With practiced ease, he stepped up to the computer console mounted a few steps away from the object and entered another access code. He navigated the touchscreen interface and the object came to life, surging with a strange bluish-white energy that coalesced within the hoop, taking a shape resembling the surface of a lake. Without hesitation, he stepped through the gateway.

As the disorienting flash faded, he stood in a secure windowless room completely fashioned from gray metal, bereft of any other decorations. In front of him stood a locked metal door with a security keypad mounted on the wall next to it.

As he stepped closer and prepared to use the keypad, the door opened on its own and someone else stepped through, clad in a rather form-fitting black body glove that exposed the outline of a fit body, with a ridiculously long golden ponytail trailing behind them.

"Well well…" the figure in the body glove said with a confident male voice. "Haven't seen you around here in a while."

"Hello, me." the figure in the armored suit said in another voice, nearly identical to the long-haired man's, before reaching for a polished metal cylinder hanging from his belt.

"It's true then." the long-haired man said, not sounding particularly surprised.

In response, the armored man held the object horizontally in front of him, then pushed a button and with a snap-hiss a blue energy blade erupted from the tip of the object, pointing to his left. He held it in place for a moment before speaking.

"Yes…"

"But we're not stupid." he added, his voice returning to the initial softer tone. "We know we're not ready yet."

"I can see where this is going…" the long-haired man said. "Very well."

With that, he cracked his knuckles and then reached for his own belt and produced a very similar item, igniting a green blade.

"But I've gotta warn you. If I think you're going overboard, I'll put the brakes on the whole thing. After all, you're not as durable as I am."

"We place ourselves in your capable hands." the armored man said, with both voices blending together.

"Very well." the man in the body glove said. "Let's see if you still have what it takes to carry the name Zero."


	17. A Brief Respite

Chapter 17 – A Brief Respite

"**I'****ve**** had plenty of time to come to terms with who I once was and with what I've become. ****It's been a long and strange journey and the end is still unknown, but ****I**** know that should I falter, the others will carry this through.**

**Still, I fear that ****we**** are tampering with powers beyond what any mortal should hold in their grasp. Even now, I am haunted by the things I saw in that cave underneath the seabed ****and, d****espite the children's reassurances, I fear for their safety. ****The Son may be honorable enough, but the Father is a loose cannon and has ****already ****broken our trust. ****We must continue to grow our strength without relying too much on temperamental ghosts in the machine.****"**

**\- ****Sealed**** notes of the First Imperative**

On an alien command ship in orbit over Mars…

"What was that imbecile thinking?!" the alien officer a the beige uniform fumed, poring over the reports as his orange eyes sparked with rage and beads of sweat ran down his furrowed brow His black hair, cut short, in a simple and functional military fashion, was slightly oily after spending nearly three days without rest or taking breaks for personal hygiene.

Starting to feel the weight of fatigue himself, Zuuran remained silent and stoic, allowing him to vent. Despite the lack of rest, he had managed to keep his green uniform in pristine condition, and periodically refresh himself, but his green eyes, the same shade as the uniform, were starting to look bloodshot.

"Anthur has gone too far this time!" the officer continued. "Did he think the humans were just going to roll over at the sight of his showboating?!"

His composure continued to deteriorate further as he rambled on, but Zuuran said nothing.

"Not one, but two battleships lost, with nothing to show for it! It's almost as if he is intentionally trying to get us wiped out! Between his incompetence and dishonorable conduct, his family connections are probably the only reason why he isn't a grunt in the Penal Regiment or a corpse!"

The female alien in the priestly garments stepped into the chamber. With a furrowed brow, she let him finish his rant and then spoke her mind.

"Remember your blood pressure, Xelmath." she cautioned.

Xelmath let out a sigh and sank back into his chair, rubbing his temples.

"This whole invasion plan has been a complete mess from the start. We are just aimlessly throwing men and materiel away… and for what?"

"As long as his family continues to hold sway in the Council, it will be very difficult to change course." the woman noted. "This could all have been avoided if a different approach had been taken."

"Not too long ago, you asked me if I questioned the Emperor's wisdom, Aselia." Xelmath said pointedly.

Zuuran cautiously headed for the door and locked it.

"Should you still be here?" Aselia asked, eyeing the younger adjutant.

"To openly question the Emperor is a dangerous proposition in these dark times." Zuuran said, meeting her gaze. "But I am not a worm like Anthur. The Emperor is the Emperor, but my first loyalty is to the people who took me in and treated me like their own kin."

"And we appreciate your loyalty and discretion." Xelmath said. "But be careful. If I know Anthur, he will be looking for someone to blame for this debacle."

"I know." Zuuran said with a nod. "But how long is this going to continue? As you said, this whole thing was a pointless waste."

"How do you think I feel?" Aselia spoke her mind, her thin face marred by a heavy frown as her lips twisted into a bitter scowl. "I was finally able to sense the location of a meaningful artifact… only for that fool to lose two battleships and their crews on an infantile power trip."

"We would have lost a lot more if not for the centralized control systems." Zuuran pointed out. "But we're still talking about at least twenty crewmen aboard that second ship… not to mention the war suit pilots."

"This whole situation is ridiculous." Xelmath said, utterly disgusted. "The powers of the Oracular Order are being wasted here, along with the lives of our people. We are no closer to finding the power we seek."

"Or perhaps we are…" Aselia said with an inscrutable expression. "The strange energy we sensed may have faded once again, but..."

"But?" Xelmath asked.

"On our way here, I was struck with several visions." she said with certainty. "Later I discovered that each of them coincided with clashes between the Penal Regiment and those children."

"And what did you see?" Zuuran asked.

"The visions were fleeting, but I retained some glimpses." she elaborated. "Two identical men and two nearly identical boys, staring standing defiantly with an army of giants behind them."

Seemingly exhausted by the mere recollection, she rested her hands on the desk.

"I also saw… someone else. No longer a boy, but not yet a man, grieving over a bloodstained white bird until his eyes were tinged with crimson and a terrible flame swept across the sky on metal wings."

"Do you speak of our foes?" Xelmath muttered.

"We have caught glimpses of them on the field." Zuuran said. "But our understanding of them is still limited. Anthur and Belphes thought they could simply trample over them with brute force, and we all know the result."

"They are losing sight of our true purpose here." Aselia said with disdain. "They see it as merely an opportunity to flaunt their armaments."

"But even if we find what we seek here…" Xelmath noted. "Will it be enough?"

With a sigh, he sank back into his chair.

"There are so few of us left. Will even this be enough to turn the tide?"

"If not, then perhaps the natives of this world will finish what we started." Zuuran reasoned. "But I for one am not content to lower my arms and let this be the culmination of our history."

"Neither am I." Xelmath said. "But it was one thing to take what we needed from other worlds and move on. Anthur and his cronies are striking indiscriminately. Even against children."

"And those children have repeatedly humiliated them." Zuuran pointed out. "Quite the spirited lot. In different circumstances, perhaps they would have joined us against our true foe."

"Would you truly be so quick to stand side by side with a Machine Soul?" Aselia asked, though her tone and expression were completely neutral.

"I haven't forgotten what happened a generation ago." Zuuran retorted with disdain. "The reason why I ended up as your ward. But while I have no love for those things, I also haven't forgotten what led to those events."

"Then you are wiser than some of your elders." Aselia remarked with a smirk. "But take care not to voice that kind of thoughts in the presence of others, unless you look forward to being branded a heretic."

"Says the member of the Oracular Order." Zuuran pointed out.

"I am no longer a starstruck maiden." Aselia scoffed. "For all her sermonizing, the High Priestess is not the one risking life and limb on the field. When was the last time she left her gilded pulpit?"

"Perhaps in our desperation to survive at any cost, we are becoming no better than the beings that drove us to this state." Xelmath mused with a heavy frown. "Perhaps that is why we are reduced to roaming the stars in search of what we lost."

"Regardless, we must persevere." Aselia said. "Our search has led us here for a reason."

* * *

Meanwhile, on Earth...

With Lan finally taking another break, Hub took over at the lab, supervising the small army of technicians with the help of Tron. Brimming with energy as usual, Roll eagerly joined him, trying up the twins' notes and contributing with her own processing power to sift through the tremendous amounts of battlefield data and search for new ideas.

"I can definitely see why you'd keep all your notes in computers and tablets." Roll remarked as she sat at Lan's desk, going over a stack of papers and manually copying everything to a more readable format, her fingers tapping a keyboard at inhuman speeds. "I'm not sure any scanning software could recognize Lan's handwriting when he's in a hurry."

Noticing how quiet her husband was, she glanced in his direction.

"You OK?"

"Just wondering when our lives got so complicated." he said with a shrug, prying his gaze from one of the wall mounted screens where he was poring over some schematics and progress reports. "One minute we were just a bunch of kids busting viruses and now we're dealing with parallel Earths, Warriors of Light, alien invasions and giant robots."

"To be fair, I don't think you were ever that normal." she pointed out with a smile. "Then again, how could you be?"

"I'm not sure the word normal is even in our dictionary." he admitted, smiling back at her. "I'm just glad we get to spend our lives with our families out here instead of watching them from the other side of a PET screen."

There was a knock on the door and the two glanced in its direction.

"Yes?" Hub called out.

Tron entered the office and nodded politely.

"Mrs. Hikari, Dr. Hikari." she said. "The reports you asked for are ready."

"Thank you Ms. Bonne." Hub said as she crossed the distance to hand over a tablet. He took a moment to browse through them and then looked at her.

"And how's the general mood downstairs?" he added.

"People are understandably nervous, but everyone here trusts you completely." she said with a smile, trying to avoid looking directly at him.

"_What's the matter with that girl?" _Roll wondered, watching the subtle but sudden shift.

"Actually, while he goes over the reports, there's something else I wanted to talk about." she said, staring at the girl.

"Oh?"

"Saya mentioned you were working on a little side project of your own." Roll remarked with her usual beaming smile. "I'd love to see it."

"O-Oh." Tron stammered. "It's nothing special, really. J-Just a little something to keep myself busy."

"Still, I keep hearing about your talent ever since you started your internship here." Roll gently insisted. "This kind of stuff is really exciting."

Seeing Roll's beaming smile and the curiosity flickering in her green eyes, the young assistant found herself giving in.

"It's far from ready, but I suppose you'd still like it." she said, encouraged by her excitement. "Right this way."

Roll started following before stopping for a moment and glancing over her shoulder.

"I'll be back in a bit honey." she said in lieu of farewell. "Call if you need me."

"Will do." Hub said, smiling back at her. Once the two were out the door and out of earshot, he sat back down behind the desk.

"_I __don't know how she does it__, __but __Roll gets even more adorable with age."_ he thought with a goofy smile before going back to the reports.

* * *

Elsewhere…

At Jasmine's insistence, Ms. Yumi had taken the day off as well. Not knowing what to do, she had decided to drop by the Hikari household. As she found herself standing in front of the home of the people who had treated her with such kindness, she was met by a familiar face.

"Come on in!" Mayl said with a smile as she opened the door of the right hand house for her. She still had a white apron draped over her shoulder and the scent of cookies wafted through the air.

The bright young woman had visited the Hikari residence many times since her unplanned jump

between worlds and each time she had been greeted with the same warmth.

"So, you finally decided to take our advice and take a break too?" Mayl asked, before closing the door behind her and ushering her past the entrance.

"Dr. Jasmine is worried about my health, especially given my… condition."

"_I'll have to watch myself around that woman…"_

"We may be no closer to figuring out where you came from, but I'm glad that hasn't slowed you down one bit." Mayl said, looking on the bright side of things as she and Roll tended to. "I'm you're with us."

"_I'm going to miss this place when I do make it back home." _Ms. Yumi thought, feeling a bit downcast at the notion but trying her best to hide it.

As she walked past the back of the couch and glanced at the TV screen, she saw what looked like battle footage from the Sigma Uprising two decades prior and stopped.

On the screen, fighting alongside familiar faces like Hub and X, she noticed a tall Navi clad in a suit of red plate armor with a matching helmet that concealed his face and strange pauldrons topped by what almost looked like fins. Armed with sword and shield, he was charging in the direction of a crowd of creatures resembling generic Navi models, apart from the fact that their bodies were completely black.

"_Ah, those must be the Pseudonavi constructs the Professors mentioned before." _she realized.

Then her attention was drawn to another figure that appeared on the screen.

Its presence was striking, emanating a nearly palpable dread, with a towering form. Its tall, muscular frame with rather bulky hands and feet was covered in menacing black armor. Its chest was decorated with prominent, large ornament, shaped like a stylized pair of open wings, with a circular core right at the center. A pair of large, jagged, serrated spikes protruded from both sides of each wrist.

Its elaborate helmet, which made the being look even more like a thing of nightmare, was shaped like an open crown with a cleft across the middle from the top to the space between the eyes, this cavity being occupied by some kind of bulbous red ornament with a blue core. A pair of golden spikes were protruding horizontally from the sides of the head like horns and the being's jagged mouth looked like a cracked furnace grate. The most disconcerting features, however, were probably the large yellow eyes that seemed strangely out of place, almost organic in comparison. To finish the bizarre ensemble, a large red metal disc, hovered behind its back, shaped like a crossed off circle with two spiked protrusions.

She froze in place at the sight, her eyes widening and her jaw slipping slightly open.

"_It can't be…"_

In the recording, the menacing figure raised his right arm and the spikes on each side of the wrists expanded until the metal merged together and took the shape of a wide v-shaped metal blade with the tip covering the fist.

"_What the hell is he doing there?!"_

As some of the volunteer Navis that had joined the battle recoiled, startled by the nightmarish being's appearance, the bladed fist shot through the air, over their heads, and cut horizontally through a good chunk of the advancing enemy line, spraying the air with disintegrating bits of data before retracting the blade and obediently returning to its owner.

Ms. Yumi blinked twice, with her eyes wide as dinner plates, and then turned to Lan.

"D-Dr. Hikari… What is that thing?"

"It's a long story." Lan said with an enigmatic smile, unsure how to tell her that an android from a parallel Earth had decided to show up for the battle in the Cyberworld in such an elaborate disguise.

"Actually…" Raito pointed out in X's direction. "That other Navi in blue next to Uncle Hub looks kinda familiar."

"_You don't know the half of it…"_ Lan thought, trying to keep a straight face.

"Wait a minute…" Maito added, as the Navi in question fired a series of rockets, each tipped with a drill. "Isn't that…?"

"_Maybe I should have been a bit more careful with the recordings…"_ Lan thought. _"There are things they're not ready to know yet."_

Then the footage on the screen skipped a bit forward and the Navi in red discarded his shield.

"I wasn't much of a shield last time, and you have no need for one here." he proclaimed. "So instead…"

And with that he drew his sword. As he gripped it with both hands and pointed it upwards, the crossguard opened wider and, as he pointed it straight up, the blade started quickly expanding to a ludicrous size, rising like a tower above the battlefield.

"Instead I will be a sword to cleave this filth. Your work here is too important to waste time with trash."

"That's fine and all." a female Navi with clad in some sort of gray riot armor chimed in before dashing in the shield's direction and picking it up with visible effort. "But don't just throw this away."

Noticing the change in Lan's expression as the recording continued playing, Ms. Yumi gave him a quizzical look.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"That was Gallant, a Navi created by some old friends." Lan said with a frown. "The girl next to him is Peach, another friend's Navi. They left us too soon."

She wanted to know more, but she had known Lan long enough to recognize a sore spot. Very few things got him down for long, she had already realized, and out of consideration for him she stayed silent.

The nearly identical cousins noticed something else, however. Emblazoned on the shield was a simple brand in the shape of a sword pointing downward.

"Wait, that mark on the shield..." Raito said, pointing at it for emphasis.

"Whose Navi exactly was that?" Maito added.

Lan let out a sigh and stopped the footage.

"Let's look at something else. Like the Red Sun Tournament."

The boys were surprised by the shift in his mood, but were quickly distracted by the additional footage of the twins' past exploits. Still, their words struck a chord with Lan.

"_They do have a point…" _he quietly reflected, while the boys excitedly watched some of his old battles. _"The piloting suits. Not to mention…"_

His thoughts were interrupted by Mayl chiming in.

"They're ready!" she announced, with a large metal tray laden with cookies in her grip. The sight and scent completely derailed Lan's train of thought and made it impossible for him to think of anything else at the moment.

"Looks like I picked the perfect time to drop by." Ms. Yumi practically purred, feeling her mouth watering at the sight.

Over the year since the twins had found her, she had grown to learn some of the quirks of her host family. While Hub had shown a considerable talent and aptitude for cooking, Mayl had refused to lag behind. To them, it was another way of spoiling the people around them, and the two would frequently try out new recipes together or bounce ideas off of each other. With Hub at the lab though, she had the kitchen to herself and had decided to treat the family to an old recipe that Ms. Yumi herself had grown to love.

"_I __need to talk to Gilliam again soon__…" _she thought, feeling a pang of guilt at her extended absence.

* * *

Meanwhile...

With a temporary lull in the hostilities, Shingo decided to spend some more time training with the Guts Brothers in the laboratory's gym.

"You're getting better at this!" Chisao said as the skinny boy, drenched in sweat, stood in a combat stance on a mat wearing a white t-shirt along with green tracksuit trousers and matching running shoes.

"Really now?" Shingo asked, taking a moment to straighten his glasses. "You're not just trying to make me feel better?"

"I think I see what the problem is." Dex chimed in, glancing from the spot where he was doing stretches in a sleeveless white gi with a black belt.

"Yeah." Chisao added. "Seeing is believing, I guess."

Though Navis did not technically need physical exercise to maintain their synthetic bodies, the ever spirited GutsMan had joined them as well, clad in an identical gi. As he prepared to give his opinion, however, something in Dex's yellow gym bag rang. GutsMan sighed and headed to the bench where the bag was set, then picked up his partner's PET. Seeing the name on the screen he sighed, but after a brief moment of hesitation he still answered the call.

"Oyama." he said.

"May I speak to your brother please?" a familiar woman's voice asked.

GutsMan sighed again and glanced in Dex's direction. Then Dex too sighed and nodded, understanding his awkward expression. GutsMan crossed the distance and handed over the PET.

"Ms. Nanako?" Dex called out, his tone and enunciation once again changing from a typical tough guy to a polite, professional public representative.

"Mr. Mayor…" the woman said in an unnatural, almost eerily calm tone. "Do you recall what day it is today?"

"H-Huh?" Dex muttered, straining his mind in an attempt to jog his memory before biting down a curse word as he finally remembered.

"Yes, Mr. Mayor." the woman said still sounding eerily calm. "The Emergency Committee meeting. Need I remind you that we are still technically in a state of emergency, and as an elected city official, your presence is needed?"

"I-I'm sorry." he stammered. "I…"

"You forgot." she deduced, before taking a deep breath. "Mr. Mayor, you are not setting a very good example by eschewing your duties. I understand that you have your own interests, and that your… side occupation is important, but there are people counting on you."

At this point Dex was feeling like a boy caught sneaking out of class to play with his friends. It was odd and a little awkward, especially for Shingo, to see the towering musclebound man with such a guilty look on his face and the way the timid-sounding woman had left him in this state without even raising her voice.

"How much time do I have to get there?" Dex asked, trying to salvage the situation.

"I anticipated this eventuality." she said. "I am already attending on your behalf. In the future though, please try to be a little more considerate of your obligations…"

"And of other people's feelings." she added under her breath.

"Wait wha-" Dex muttered, before the call abruptly ended.

"You know bro…" Chisao said, shaking his head. "You keep doing this and one of these days she's gonna resign."

"Maybe this whole Mayor thing was a mistake." Dex muttered, back to his normal tone. "All I do is disappoint people."

"You've got heart and guts." GutsMan pointed out. "That's what got ya elected in the first place."

"But you took on responsibilities." Chisao pointed out. "Can't forget about those."

"I guess we can't all run off to wander the world like Master Ryu." Shingo said, a little taken aback by the exchange. "Where is he anyway?"

"He's looking into some things related to that weird stone slab." Chisao informed. "He'll be joining us here later."

* * *

Outside, the Great Harpuia stood alongside the Gemini and Spark Machines. Maria and Aya had decided to practice their teamwork for a couple of hours until the third machine's arrival. Sage had dropped by to deliver a few items, then ended up staying a bit longer at their request to give them some pointers.

"Actually, could you show us that move you used last time?" Aya asked. "What was it called?"

"The Tornado Bullet, you mean?" Sage answered. "I suppose I can do that."

Once the girls moved their robots back to give Sage some space, the green machine made a backflip into the air, quickly gaining altitude, and then started spinning as Sage activated the wrist mounted energy blades. In the Great Harpuia's cockpit, Sage grinned, enjoying the rush of speed and the opportunity to show off his skills.

"SUPER ELECTROMAGNETIC SPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!" Fighter's voice suddenly blared through the comms.

"AH!" Sage shouted with a start, before clenching his fists and furiously glaring around. "What the hell?!"

To his credit, Sage managed to complete the maneuver without a hitch. A moment later, Fighter's laughter answered his protests.

"Are you trying to make me crash, idiot?!" Sage growled.

"Oh lighten up you stick-in-the-mud!" Fighter retorted before breaking into a bout of singing horribly off-key. "V V V! VICTORY!"

"That's quite enough out of you." Phantom's voice cut him off, followed by the sound of something heavy hitting something else and the transmission abruptly ended.

The Great Harpuia made a graceful landing, despite the circumstances, then froze in place for a drawn out moment as its pilot cast a withering glare at the communications console.

"Uh, Mr. Sage…" Maria called out from her cockpit, staring at the immobile machine. "Are you OK in there?"

"One of these days I'm going to…" Sage hissed with his eyes twitching in fury.

Meanwhile, at he Sanctum, Phantom, rolling his eyes, resumed reading his heavy hardcover book. Next to him, Fighter rubbed the sore spot at the top of his head.

"Hey, what's that?" Maria wondered as she sensed something approaching before the Gemini Machine's sensors had picked it up.

"Huh?" Aya answered, looking in the direction the Gemini Machine's head had turned to.

Moments later, the Leonarch flew into view, its radiant energy trailing behind it in streams that almost made it looked as though it had wings.

_ "It appears his time and control are improving."_ Sage noted. _"Good."_

"Ladies." Alexander said in a manner of greeting as his construct touched down.

"Did something happen?" Aya asked, a little concerned by his abrupt appearance.

"No, no. Nothing to worry about." Alexander said. "I simply thought to get a little extra flight practice."

With that, he stretched his limbs and climbed out of the Leonarch. Once he had climbed most of the way, he hopped down.

"I suppose we could use a break too." Maria reasoned before stepping out of her machine, soon followed by Aya.

The young heiress walked up to the taller boy and gave him a pensive glance.

"Does this extra training have something to do with what happened last time?" Aya asked, her tone unusually tactful.

"You could say that…" Alexander admitted, sounding a little vexed. "While I've been able to improve flight speed, endurance is a concern seeing how this machine relies on my willpower and mental focus."

"Two battleships in one day may have been a little too much, even for you." Aya remarked before her composure slightly cracked, giving way to a mischievous grin.

"Still, it is rather impressive that you made it all the way here from Albion in one go... Prince Charming."

"I thought I'd asked you not to call me that." Alexander weakly protested, going from confident heir to flustered young man in a heartbeat.

"You know she's probably gonna keep doing it as long as you keep getting all bothered about it." Maria pointed out.

"I suppose I still cannot be perfectly proper at all times." Aya conceded with a mischievous smirk. "But since you are here, I could use some fencing practice. Uncle Proto has been gone for too long and I would hate to let my skills rust."

"I would have to borrow one of your practice rapiers then." Alexander said.

"That was not the only weapon he taught me to wield." Aya pointed out with a hint of pride. "Perhaps some sword and shield practice will be good for both of us?"

"I… would rather not…" Alexander hesitantly said.

"Do you think I would not meet your standards?" Aya asked, frowning in annoyance.

"It's not that…" he tried to explain. "I just…"

"I get it." Maria chimed in with a knowing smile. "You're scared of hurting her."

"How do you figure?" Aya asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Amelia told me a few things about Alex and her brother." she elaborated, straightening her glasses. "They got into this stuff together but Atreus stopped sparring with anyone out of fear of hurting them. These two are cut from the same cloth, so..."

"Unlike him, I'm not scared of my own strength." Alexander corrected. "It simply feels wrong to engage in such rough antics with a lady."

"Oh get over it." Aya retorted, lightly punching his arm. "It is one thing to be courteous, but some of your standards are seriously outdated. Besides, those practice suits are so thick neither of us will feel a thing."

"After such a faux pas, I will not take no for an answer." she added, half-playful and half-serious.

"Well…" Alexander conceded, smiling rather sheepishly. "I do suppose I should make reparations."

"And no holding back either, or I will be offended." Aya added.

"I do not recall you being this bossy back then." Alexander halfheartedly grumbled.

"I may not be royalty like you, but I will be in a position of responsibility too in a few more years." Aya retorted with a smug grin. "I have to know how to get my way."

"Give your future spouse my condolences." Alexander quipped. "They will have their work cut out for them."

"Methinks the good sir doth protest too much." Aya retorted without skipping a beat. "Or is that a roundabout way of stepping forward as a candidate?"

"I'm not brave enough for that." Alexander said with a grin.

"Your loss." Aya scoffed before turning her attention to Maria.

"You should come with us. A lady needs to know how to stand up for herself."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the underground base underneath the Black Forest...

In one of the larger assembly halls, Gilliam stood before a platoon of soldiers, all standing at attention, clad in the bulky bluish-gray piloting suits that had become synonymous with the organization's MEC division.

"I have some good news." he announced. "Thanks to our partners from VTX and some additional assistance from other allies, we are making good progress on a batch of Gespenst units. A few should be ready within the next month or two… along with other items."

The soldiers stayed silent, but he could sense their excited tension, much like children about to open their presents on Christmas.

"Unfortunately, the production numbers are still limited, so we will continue to pursue development of our own MEC line in parallel."

He then pulled out a tablet and brought up a list of names.

"We have been collecting and sorting performance data since our first engagement. Based on our analysis, the following soldiers will be issued Gespenst units as soon as they become available."

He cleared his throat and then announced the names.

"Captain Rossi, Sergeant Germi, Lieutenant Kasamoto, Captain Roving, Specialist Cassel. Lieutenant Spacey, Master Sergeant Ryan and Sergeant Elson."

Despite everyone present being a trained soldier, there was some murmuring in the ranks. The Major paused for a moment and then read the last of the names out loud.

"And finally, Captain Lecointe, Lieutenant Zander and Captain Blazkowicz. Captain Deikun and Lieutenant Ray have already been issued their units upon their transfer to the Kiryu-Kai facility along with their promotions."

Another bout of murmuring followed, but the soldiers were clearly intent on hearing the rest and quickly went silent again.

"The rest of you, stay alert for updates." the Major continued. "We are already replacing our standard issue MEC armaments with the new magnetic accelerator weaponry, thanks to our colleagues in the engineering division and the field testing carried out by Captain Devon, Captain Deikun and Lieutenant Ray."

He paused again to give the soldiers time to digest the new information and then continued.

"We are also in the process of upgrading all Wardens to the new MEC-2 frame. The refit to Sentinel will be carried out in phases to ensure that we always have enough units on standby at any given time. You will be informed when your assigned units are due for refitting and briefed in groups about the new weapons and functionalities."

The Major then surveyed the chamber once again.

"The testers for the first set of Sentinels have already been selected as well. Lieutenant Scott, Specialist Cranston, Sergeant Kwan, Sergeant Taylor, Sergeant Hart and Lieutenant Oliver."

"Incidentally..." he added, staring intently at someone in the assembled crowd.

"Specialist Hayter, I have some questions about the proposal you submitted. Would you kindly explain to me why you and you friend Emmerich from engineering thought it would be a good idea to build a bipedal battle tank… armed with nuclear warheads?"

Some of the other soldiers laughed.

"Well Major..." a gruff-looking soldier with unruly dark brown hair and a three day beard replied, taking a step forward. "Any giant robot worth its salt needs a proper finishing move. At least that's what Hal told me."

"I will admit that your designs had some interesting ideas, such as the railgun and the plasma beam." Gilliam said in a neutral tone. "However, given the low mobility and especially the potential for collateral damage, I'm afraid your proposal will be rejected."

More laughter in the background followed and the eccentric soldier returned to his spot.

"Are there any topics that need to be brought to my attention?" the Major asked.

"Just one thing." another soldier said, stepping forward, wearing a pair of aviator shades and an unreadable expression.

What set him apart from most of the others, other than the height, was the fact that his hair, tied in a discreet ponytail, was a silvery white despite its owner appearing to still be in his thirties. The patches on his piloting suit labeled him as being both a MEC and interceptor pilot.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" the Major asked.

"I think you already know what I'm going to ask." the man said in an even tone.

"Your proposal of shifting more of our synthetic operatives to higher risk deployments?" the Major deduced.

"Quite." the man said, still unperturbed despite the subject matter. "We may be treated as equals here, but, technically speaking, we are not. Even setting the recall devices aside, we are still considerably more durable than the average human."

"I do understand your position, Lieutenant." the Major said evenly.

"It's a matter a matter of principle." the man said.

"And personal, is it not?" Gilliam retorted with a knowing smile. "After all, your niece and her friends are out there taking the same risks as our troops, despite being civilians… and children."

This remark elicited a bout of whispering among the ranks and a few of the soldiers glanced at their companion.

"You could say that, yes." the man said with a smirk.

"The Commander hasn't forgotten your petition and the overwhelming majority of the Navis in this organization shares your opinion." the Major said. "We are already taking measures to adapt our tactics."

The Major paused and delivered his final statement.

"Well, that's it for now. Our research and engineering divisions are working around the clock to help counter the alien menace. Stay together, stay strong… and stay focused. Dismissed."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the Earth next door…

"You've done better than I expected." the man in the black body glove said, deactivating his blade.

"Give us some credit." the man in the black suit of armor said in a nearly identical voice, tired and a bit sore but still satisfied. "This body may be mostly organic but we've made sure to take care of it."

"Not to mention…" he said, switching to his softer voice. "We've spent twenty years like this. We had to learn how to function without tripping on each other."

"Sometimes I think you two are just crazy." the man in the body glove said with a shrug.

"Says the guy who used to hitch rides on rockets." the armored man retorted, again with his deeper voice.

"I didn't say crazy was a bad thing." the man in the body glove scoffed.

"Anyway…" he added, his tone considerably more serious. "I imagine you're not gonna take on those aliens on foot. What are you planning?"

"It's still a work in progress." the armored man said in his softer voice.

"You do have a plan, right?" the man in the body glove asked, staring intently at him.

"The Biometals will come in handy when the time is right, but… we need something else." the armored man said, once again speaking with his deeper voice.

"Not to mention Model G still has some kinks that need to be ironed out." the man in the body glove pointed out.

"Yeah. The amplifier still takes a lot out of her when she goes all out. Can you believe she tried to go Starkiller on a battleship?"

The man in the body glove laughed in response.

"Actually, I can. No matter the Earth, it looks like that cute face always hides a fierce temper."

He then scratched his chin and reached for a pouch hanging from his belt. From it, he produced a strange green gem, small enough to fit in his hand.

"On a related note… Take this and keep it close."

"Are you sure about this?" the armored man asked, again speaking with a deeper voice.

"Don't worry. We have more than we know what to do with. As long as your courage doesn't falter, this will come in handy."

"Thanks." the armored man said, again switching to his softer voice as he took the gem in his gloved hand. Then the man in the body glove abruptly grabbed his shoulder.

"Just don't do anything stupid, you hear me? Both of you."

"Who the hell do you think we are?" the armored man scoffed, with both voices overlapping.

"You tell me." the man in the body glove flatly retorted.

"We are Zero. We are her sword and shield."

"A bit dramatic, but I suppose it'll do." the man in the body glove remarked.

"That's probably my fault." the armored man said in his softer voice, without a hint of shame. "I'm a bad influence on the other you."

"And now we should probably head back." he added, switching voices again. "X needs our help getting those molecular furnaces running... and people will start asking questions if we're gone for too long."

"You do that then." the man in the body glove said, before walking to a coat hanger set on a nearby wall and pulling out a white labcoat from it, which he quickly put on after a brief struggle to get his oversized ponytail out of the way. "I have things to do too, so we'll continue this later."

* * *

Several hours later, at a break room in the Kiryu-Kai facility…

"Gentlemen, once again you've exceeded the Commander's expectations." Gilliam said, though his expression was somewhat guarded.

"Those machines really are something else." Casval said, flashing a winning smile. "In fact, the reaction speed is so great I'm not sure some of our colleagues will be able to handle a Gespenst."

"That's because I've calibrated both your units to match your specific capabilities." Gilliam said. "That battery of tests we did before you shipped out wasn't just for show."

"Neither are these Gespenst, that's for sure." Amuro said. "But is that the only reason you came all the way here?"

"I have some other business in the region, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to get your firsthand feedback." the Major explained.

"Well…" Casval pondered. "If the enemy is going to start deploying more flying units, then I wonder how long the Gespenst can stay airborne."

"I did consider that eventuality." Gilliam said. "As you've seen by now, the Gespenst line has considerable aerial mobility. In fact, this is the second time I've flown here from HQ on the RV without any refueling stops."

"_Line?"_ Casval wondered. _"Does that mean there are more variants out there?"_

"These models are equipped with very good flight systems." Gilliam said. "You may not be hunting down enemy craft anytime soon, but you should be able to stay airborne during most missions."

"If you don't mind me asking…" Casval said with a furrowed brow. "Where exactly did this technology come from? I know the MECs used plenty of conventional materials, but the Gespenst is something else entirely."

"_Shrewd as ever, regardless of the iteration…"_ Gilliam thought. _"I'll have to be very careful about what I say around these two."_

"VTX already had considerable expertise and some functional prototypes as proof of concept." he explained. "I merely helped them refine some concepts."

It was technically true, in the sense that the concepts existed, but in a scattered form and mostly as smaller test components that would likely have never been assembled in such a fashion. In his long career, Gilliam had memorized the entirety of the basic schematics and still occasionally put together new variants in his mind as a way to pass the time.

"Well, gentlemen…" the Major said. "I'll be staying in the region for two weeks to look into other matters. Do let me know if you get any ideas I can use."

With that, he stepped outside the hangar and into an adjacent smaller one, exclusively occupied by the Gespenst RV. He locked the door behind him, climbed into the cockpit and sealed himself inside, then activated a most definitely non-standard subsystem.

One of the monitors lit up and an unmistakable face appeared on it. A man, somewhere in his forties or fifties, with a strong face showing the first signs of wrinkles but with a fire still burning in his gray eyes. His black hair, a bit on the unruly side, was beginning to sport some gray strands, but was still mostly unchanged from his younger days – including the spiked sideburns, pointing forward.

"Not to be ungrateful or anything, Gilliam, but you could answer our calls a little more often." the man said, looking a bit tired.

"I know. Sorry about that." Gilliam answered with an apologetic nod. "My hands have been pretty full."

The man nodded, but still looked somewhat tense.

"How is she?"

"Same as last time. In fact, I'd say she's in one of the safest places in this world right now. Relax."

The man sighed and rubbed his temples.

"This isn't an easy position for me, you know." he admitted. "She's almost an adult. I can't blame her for getting excited about having an adventure of her own, especially if she's already made friends on that side."

Gilliam smiled, his expression turning unusually soft.

"I imagine it's taking all your restraint to refrain from jumping into the nearest Cross Gate or getting someone else to bring you here, isn't it?"

"Don't even kid about it!" the man grumbled. "I mean, I could, but… I don't even know if there are any Cross Gates leading there. Don't want to run off and get lost too. Not to mention..."

"You don't want Lisa to think you don't trust her?" Gilliam surmised. "Or you don't want to make things weird by popping into a world where your face is plastered on TV shows, movies and action figures?"

"I'm still not sure you're not pulling my leg on that one." the man scoffed. "The main problem is finding a way to get you-know-what through."

"I never thought I'd see the day when you of all people would turn into a fretting parent." Gilliam noted with a hint of amusement. "But don't worry. Between the Robot Masters, X and their other allies, she's in good hands."

"Well, don't poke too much fun at me." the man retorted with an irreverent grin, pointing at the camera. "It could be you someday."

"Highly unlikely." Gilliam said, rather dryly.

"After what happened to some people we know, you can't be sure of that." the man pointed out, still grinning. "Remember Tetsuya? Remember Mr. Cleave? Anyway, can't you get her to the RV so I can talk to her?"

"Not if I want to keep her cover intact." Gilliam reminded him. "She's trying very hard to blend in and be treated like a normal person… even if her choice of borrowed identity was a bit unfortunate."

"Not to mention people could get the wrong idea if you tried to talk to her in private." the man conceded. "I know. I've been on the receiving end of stuff like that."

"Well, as I mentioned before, the suit Minerva built for her is still intact." Gilliam said. "I could adapt some of my spare parts into an amplifier for its communication system."

"We'd really appreciate that." the man said with a smile. "It was a relief to get some news, but… you know… We need to see her face."

"Not to mention her mother probably isn't too happy about this." Gilliam deduced.

"That's one way of putting it…" the man said with a wince. "She had a mind to get on the Kaiser and bring her home herself, until I reminded her we don't have a way of getting it there."

"I'll get started on the amplifier as soon as I can set some time aside." Gilliam said with a nod. "Relax. You'll both get to talk to her soon."

"But before you go…" the man said, his expression relaxing and an excited smile creeping across his face. "Tell me more about those Robot Masters."

* * *

That evening, at the Hikari residence…

As he sat on a chair at his home office, Lan once again recalled the scattered scenes he had witnessed in the mirror in the bottom of the Black Earth twenty years prior. The image had been too blurred and devoid of color to make out some details and he hadn't had the time to record anything, but the memory of the boy screaming in rage with glowing eyes and the girl who soon joined him returned to the forefront of his consciousness.

"_What does this all mean?"_

Whether the nanites coursing through his system had enhanced his ability to retain memories – psionic meddling aside – or there was something else at play, he could not say. Unfortunately, asking Serenade or Mamoru for answers was not an option. The former rulers of the Undernet had dropped under the radar months prior to the start of the invasion. He had little doubt that they were all right, but it was still concerning to be without news in such uncertain times.

It was still too early to go to sleep and he felt the need to find something to do. Eventually, he settled for sorting out the contents of some folders on the home computer he shared with Mayl. After a few moments going through old pictures, digital copies of his school diplomas and some other random things, Lan found an old sound file dated two decades prior.

"Huh? What's this doing here?" he thought out loud, recognizing the time stamp and file name.

Eyeing the icon on the screen, he couldn't help blushing like a schoolboy. He looked around suspiciously to make sure he was alone, then shut the door and dialed down the volume on the speakers. Satisfied, he sat back down and opened the file. Soon, he heard a recording of his younger self's sleep talk during a certain fateful flight.

"Oh Mayl... what are you doing?" Lan's voice muttered, sounding surprised. "You want me to what? Really?"

He winced, hearing those words and the enraptured tone. For a moment, he felt a bout of embarrassment and considered stopping the recording, but curiosity got the better of him.

"How can I refuse?" his younger self's voice continued.

At this point, he was glad that the children were downstairs, likely fast asleep, and that the computer had redundant security measures.

"Hmmm... so soft... so sweet... more! More!" his younger voice continued. "I swear, you've got magic hands!"

At this point his face was becoming rather flushed, but he still couldn't bring himself to stop the recording.

"YOU MAKE THE BEST RICE CAKES IN THE UNIVERSE!" his younger self proclaimed, still in the throes of his dream.

Lan stayed still for a few seconds in stunned silence… and then burst into a fit of laughter, recalling how Mayl had teased him after the flight. He had never actually listened to the full thing before, and so that memento of his younger days reminded him that despite everything else, his wife and food had always been among his favorite things in the world.

"_We were so young..." _he thought fondly once he'd finally managed to stop laughing and settled down. _"So full of love and fire. I guess we really haven't changed __in that area__."_

In nearby folders, he then found and opened up some of the pictures from that trip, and the following ones, including a few from their honeymoon a few years later. As he gazed upon all the different landscapes and the beaming smile of his and Mayl's younger selves, he was filled with a profound sense of joy and gratitude and, for a brief moment, he felt almost like a giddy teenage boy again.

"_I figure I've got about sixty or seventy more years or so left on this Earth." _he thought. _"So far I think I've done pretty well. I still don't know what she saw in the dumbass kid I used to be, but I can't complain about the way things turned out."_

"Dad?" Raito called out, peeking inside with a drowsy expression. "The hell were you watching over there? You probably woke up half the house with all that laughing."

"I'll tell you when you're older." Lan retorted with a grin. "Go back to bed."

Raito sighed and did just that, muttering something about silly adults. As soon as he was out of earshot, Lan stood back up, walked up to the door and stuck his head out.

"Honey, come see what I found!"

Quirking an eyebrow, Mayl put down the book she was reading in the living room, climbed the stairs and stepped into the office. Lan closed the door behind her and then played the recording again. Soon, both of them found themselves howling in laughter.

"I'd almost forgotten about that one!" Mayl managed to say, clutching her sides, struggling for breath as she finally ended up rolling on the floor.

"I guess at least I'm consistent." Lan quipped, trying to help her up before another fit of laughter sent him tumbling to the floor next to her.

As if on cue, another familiar face peeked through the doorway with a mischievous smile.

"Do you two need some alone time?" Roll teased. She had replaced her regular clothes with a simple two-piece pajama set (pink, of course) decorated with bird-shaped patterns.

"The floor?" Hub added in mock indignation, still wearing a blue shirt and matching trousers, but having relieved himself of his labcoat and shoes. "Really?"

"Don't make me go over there, smartasses." Mayl playfully retorted, fighting off another bout of laughter.

For once, Lan didn't give a damn about their teasing. Instead, in a rather catlike manner, he simply rolled over and nuzzled his wife's chest.

"I hope you appreciate how lucky you are." Mayl playfully scolded, running her fingers over his hair.

"Every single day." Lan answered, enjoying the close contact.

"The rice cakes probably help." Roll quipped with a grin, before moving in to haul both of them back up. "Now come on. The floor is no place for snuggling."

"To be fair…" Lan added, once he found himself back on his feet. "I'm not always thinking about food."

"Fifty percent food, forty-five percent Net Battling and gadgets, five percent… other random things." Mayl joked.

"Your percentages are a bit off, honey." he retorted, staring at her in such a shameless she couldn't help feeling embarrassed like a teenager.

"I'd say you're absolutely terrible sometimes." Mayl said with a mischievous smirk. "But I'm one to talk."

Then, she glanced at the clock on the computer screen.

"Anyway, you're supposed to be on break. Come on. You'll be cranky in the morning if you stay up too late."

With that, she grabbed him an arm and led him out of the office.

"I guess I shouldn't complain about having you tuck me in." he quipped along the way.

"Smartass." she retorted.

"What a bunch of weirdos…" Maito muttered to himself from the hallway, watching them go.

"Better this than arguing, I suppose." Raito pointed out, standing next to him. "Even if it can be a little embarrassing when they get all lovey dovey."

"Or maybe you're just jealous?" Suzu taunted with a mischievous smile, glaring at her older cousin.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Raito retorted, staring at her.

"Why don't we ask Maria?" the small Navi girl teased with a smug grin.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Raito grumbled, a hint of crimson creeping across his face.

"Sure you don't." Maito said, dripping with sarcasm. "And you really hate it when Aunt Mayl starts with the hugs and the homemade snacks too."

"Sh-Shut up!"

"But seriously." Maito said, shaking his head. "Why do you get so embarrassed about your own mom being affectionate?"

"J-Just not in public, damnit!" Raito grumbled.

"Get on with the times, Patch." Maito said, rolling his eyes. "Even tough guys love their moms. Nothing to be ashamed of."

"It's not that, OK?! I'm just not a little baby anymore."

"You know you'll always be her little boy. Deal with it."

"I'll remember that next time Aunt Roll is squeezing the living daylights out of you." Raito grumbled.

Knowing how the two could be when they started bickering, Suzu shook her head and headed back to her room.

"Oh stop being so self-conscious." Maito grumbled, rolling his eyes again. "How many of your diapers has she changed? Besides, you're moaning about that now, but you'll miss her when she's gone."

That struck a chord. Raito winced and glared at his nearly identical cousin.

"Don't even kid about that. I don't even want to think about it."

"Then stop being such a dumbass and enjoy your time with her while you can. You're in a hurry to be treated like a man, but sometimes you still act like a brat."

"And you sound like an old man sometimes." Raito grumbled, crossing his arms. "But you have a point. Now can we just drop it?"

* * *

The next morning, at the Hikari Laboratory's ground floor break room...

"Aww!" Axl pouted. "C'mon!"

"No." Ms. Yumi said, crossing her arms and scowling at him.

"But why?"

"If you know who they are, then you know how much trouble they can be. Especially… him."

"It's not like I'm gonna go and blurt out all the crazy crap their alternate universe selves did." Axl pouted. "I'm not stupid."

"Then what exactly are you going to do?" she retorted. "And keep your voice down!"

"It's a secret to everyone!" Axl said, flashing a cheeky grin.

"First Gilliam and now you…" she grumbled. "Am I the only sane person here?"

"You're tearing me apart Li-" Axl started to say in an exaggeratedly dramatic fashion before she pinched his lips shut.

"Are you trying to blow my cover?" she hissed in admonishment.

Axl tried to say something, but only incoherent mumbles came out. She sighed and released her grip.

"Why are you so scared of those two?" Axl asked, dropping the clown act.

"I'm not-" she tried to protest.

"You sure could have fooled me." he cut her off. "Really, why all this?"

"Because these two existed on my Earth as well." she said with a somber expression. "Because I've studied the history of other parallel Earths and whenever those two go to war, they and everyone around them suffers."

"Don't you think you're overreacting?" Axl argued. "Sure, they got caught up in a lot of crap and started some of it themselves, but are you seriously blaming this version of them for it all? They didn't always end up killing themselves or each other. Hell, Char wasn't always-"

"Don't!" she cut him off.

"You're so scared of then that you won't even let me say his name out loud?" Axl retorted.

"Even if they're not our enemies… people who get involved with them tend to meet unfortunate ends." Ms. Yumi said with a pained expression. "I don't want anything to happen to these children or their families."

"So what happened to that whole Mazin thing?" Axl countered. "Creating new possibilities and all that?"

"Possibility can go both ways." she retorted. "I still can't believe Gilliam put both of them in Gespenst. There are things you shouldn't play with."

"Your old man would be disappointed to hear you speak like that." Axl said, shaking his head. "Don't you see? You're in the perfect spot to help create something new, something different."

"I… don't know if I can do that." she said, looking downcast.

"Why not?"

"I may not have lost my memory like I told the others, but… Do you realize how lucky I am to even be here in one piece? I did something incredibly stupid that could have cost me my life and made my parents miserable."

"So that's what this is all about." Axl realized. "It's not about the Comet and the Meteor. It's about you. You got spooked after that accident that got you here."

He let out a sigh and stared intently at her.

"Look, Lisa. I've been around the block a few hundred years longer than you, so take it from me. Sometimes, shit happens. Sometimes it feels like you're not in control of anything."

"Your point?"

"You're not gonna get anything done if you're afraid of the unpredictable… and I think you know it. You could have just asked Gilliam to take you home and forgotten all about this world, but you didn't. Why's that?"

"Did you seriously expect me to abandon the others after the kindness they've shown me?" she asked, offended at the notion. "After seeing what they're up against?"

"And because those kids remind you of your folks back in the day, right?" Axl deduced.

"A bit, yes, but what does that-"

"Lisa… Look at it this way, if it helps." Axl said with a smile. "What if that accident wasn't just a random thing? What if it took you exactly where you're needed?"

"I… what…?"

"Even before I found out that you and your family really exist out there somewhere, I always admired you lot." Axl said with a determined expression. "For being able to laugh at the impossible and create new possibilities."

"What…?"

"By the time I came along, X and Zero were already legends." Axl reminisced. "Bigger than life. I wanted to earn my place by their side. To be a hero too, like every boy dreams of."

"What does that have to do with this?" she asked, perplexed by his train of thought.

"The adventures of a certain kid with ridiculously pointy sideburns, his Invincible Fortress of Steel and all their buddies." Axl said with a strange intensity in his gaze.

"That stuff helped me deal with the crap life threw my way and live up to my idols." he elaborated. "So the day Lisa Kabuto of all people is afraid of new possibilities is the day I hang up my guns for good."

She did not have an answer for that, staring at him for a few moments.

"I… guess I underestimated you…" she eventually muttered. "I thought you were just a hyperactive troll."

"I get that a lot." Axl said, once again flashing a childish grin. "Especially from Cial."

"Who?"

"Never mind that." Axl said in a hurry. "The point is, you're on a whole new adventure. You should be excited to be here and see how much you can do."

"I… suppose you have a point." she hesitantly conceded.

"Of course I do." Axl retorted, looking rather chipper. "Well then, what do you say we go get the others and tell them-"

"No." she cut him off. "Not yet, at least."

"Why not?"

"Aside from the fact that I lied to them, I do enjoy being treated like a normal person." she explained, looking visibly uncomfortable, even embarrassed. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be the daughter of two legends? To have everyone's eyes on you?"

"Can't say I do. But then why did you borrow your mom's name and hairdo?"

"I-It was a spur of the moment thing!" she protested, visibly flustered. "I wasn't thinking straight and regretted it the minute I found out that her name is almost as well known here."

"Not to mention the whole fictional character thing, huh?" Axl cheekily pointed out.

"Don't remind me…" Ms. Yumi grumbled. "Between randomly finding that when I was browsing the TV channel list... and what I saw when I searched for my mother's name online…"

"Safe search is your friend." Axl scoffed.

Her right eye twitched and she bared her teeth for an instant before calming down.

"You know what?" she retorted, glaring at him. "I'm gonna let that one slide. Just this once. That said… maybe it's time I stopped copying her."

"Good." Axl said, showing an earnest smile. "The only person you need to be is you. And I'm not gonna blow your cover, but I think you'll be better off coming clean sooner or later."

"After I can find a way not to die of shame, maybe."

"You know the twins won't hold it against you." Axl pointed out.

"That's not what I'm afraid of."

"Right. You don't want them going full fanboy. Especially the Guts Bros. But in the meantime, there's one thing you should know."

"What's that?"

Axl's grin only widened as he elaborated.

"Considering where you are and the people you're with… By law of parallel Earths and Alouette's Unilateral Adoption Decree, that makes you part of our extended family."

"What…?" she asked, visibly confused.

"I'll explain it later. The short version is, you're one of us and I've gotta look after you."

"Are you coming onto me?" she blurted out.

"Lisa, please!" Axl jokingly retorted. "I know I'm dashing and ridiculously handsome, but do restrain yourself."

She stared at him, once again utterly perplexed… and then just laughed until she was clutching her sides.

"I'm not that brave." Axl added with a sheepish grin once she was done laughing. "Someone on the Earth next door would be very pissed at me, not to mention your folks back home. No, what I'm trying to say is… welcome to the Megaverse."

"The what?" she asked, still out of breath.

"It's a secret to everyone!" he said with a conspiratorial wink before tugging at her cheeks. "But see? You're laughing! That's a good start!"

"You have a really weird way of cheering people up." Ms. Yumi remarked. "But I can't argue with the results. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard."

"Hey, if it's stupid but it works…" Axl said with a shrug. "But I'm serious about that other part. You're one of us now. If you need anything or something's bothering you, just talk to us. Secret identity or not, we're here for you just like you've been for the others."

"I'll keep that in mind." she said, her expression considerably calmer and more cheerful.

His work done for the moment, Axl quietly headed out, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Still processing everything and without much else left to do, she headed to another room on the same floor. Even before she opened the door, she could hear the excited noises coming from inside.

"Take this!" Maito cried out as he slotted a Battle Chip into the receptacle on his blue PET. "Battle Wing!"

On the large flat screen mounted in front of the couch the two boys were sitting on, his avatar, nearly identical to his father's Navi form, grew a pair of black razor-sharp bat-like wings and charged at his opponent.

"That's all you've got?" Raito retorted, slotting a chip into his own identical PET. "Variable Sword!"

His own avatar, nearly identical to his cousin's apart from the metallic sheen on its blue outfit, summoned the blade in question.

"There you are." Ms. Yumi said with a smile.

"Hi." both of them said, without prying their eyes away from the screen.

While Maito tried to use the wings to slice at Raito's avatar, his cousin tried to bide his time, dodging and rolling until an opening presented itself.

"I'm beginning to see why this Net Battling thing has been all the rage for thirty years." she noted.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Raito boasted, entering the command code to transform the weapon into longsword configuration.

"It can still be a little jarring to think that so many of the people on the street could be Navis without me realizing it." she mused, resting her forearms on the back of the couch.

"Do you think someone out there could even be a Navi and not realize it?" Maito wondered while his avatar rolled out of the sword's way. "That sounds a bit scary."

"Who knows?" Raito chimed in with a shrug.

"Come to think of it, I had a hard time believe you're one too." Ms. Yumi said, glancing at him.

As the boys' avatars continued trading blows, another thought took form in her mind.

"You know, since one of you is human and the other is a Navi, and you're practically twins…"

"Yeah?" Raito asked.

"Have you ever tried teaming up like your fathers used to back in the day?" she wondered.

Both boys shuddered.

"Eh, that'd be weird." Raito said.

"Yeah, what he said." Maito added.

"It's one thing to go into Full Synchro, but I don't want to control my cousin like he was a video game character." Raito elaborated.

"Besides, those Cyberworld suits?" Maito added. "Too skimpy."

"You do realize your fathers wore suits like those in the real world, right?" Ms. Yumi pointed out.

"Yeah yeah." Raito retorted. "I guess they were braver than us."

"Don't diss the classics." Maito scolded.

"You just said you didn't want your-" Raito tried to point out.

"I don't want my ass plastered on a screen." Maito retorted, scowling as if he'd tasted a lemon. "Especially not for you to stare at. But rocking that classic superhero look out here? Maybe…"

"Like I'd want to stare at that." Raito scoffed. "Get over yourself."

"I guess that's why you use those avatar programs instead." Ms. Yumi realized. "And you don't actually see many people carrying their Navis in a PET."

"Right… amnesia." Raito realized. "Sometimes it's easy to forget, seeing how you keep cranking out one awesome invention after another."

"After Navis started getting Copy Bot bodies and moving into the real world, it just started feeling weird to do Net Battles the old-fashioned way." Maito added.

Maito stretched his legs, momentarily forgetting about the battle on the screen.

"It's funny how the weird becomes the new normal." he added, recalling a conversation with Shingo.

* * *

Five years prior...

"But so does that mean someone built you or…?" Shingo asked as he and Maito were sitting on a bench in the playground during recess.

"It's a long story." Maito recalled. "I don't know all the details, but it all started a long time ago when my father… died."

"I heard that part." Shingo said with a nod. "HBD. Hard to imagine how much suffering that condition caused now that it can be permanently cured in an hour."

"Then you know about how he was reborn as a Navi and fought alongside my mother, aunt and uncle against terrorists and criminals and all kinds of weird crap."

"Yeah. Some of that stuff was pretty out there."

"Some time after the Cybeast incident, a man moved to this city to work at SciLab. His name was Cadmus Atreides."

"Are you kidding me?" Shingo asked, an excited glimmer appearing in his eyes. "The Imperative lived here once?"

"Sounds like somebody is a fan."

"My sister is a huge fan of Dr. Ciel." Shingo clarified. "We still can't wrap our heads around some of their papers though."

"Well, yeah, both of them once lived here." Maito said, looking in the direction of the school playground fence. "In that house across the street from ours that's been closed off for years. As far as I know, they still own the place."

"I always wondered why nobody would move in." Shingo said, straightening his glasses. "Not to mention the military grade locks. But it's amazing. History was made in our backyard."

"So you know about their work with Copy Bot upgrades then." Maito concluded. "What you may not know is that my father was the first test subject. He was already exploring the world around him with an early model… but the prototype upgrades changed everything."

"Can you imagine?" Maito added. "Living your whole live behind a PET screen and then in a robot body that could only see and hear? And then unlocking all five senses and more? Getting to taste food, hold your family, feel like a part of the world?"

* * *

Maito's mind returned to the present… only to find out that his cousin had seized the opportunity to trounce his avatar with a well-placed sword strike.

"Eyes on the ball." Raito remarked with a smug grin.

"Why you little…" Maito grumbled, glaring at his cousin. "Rematch!"

"You're on!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the lab basement…

"Wow…" Hub muttered with a perplexed expression as he watched Roll playing with the combat simulator, demolishing a slew of virtual enemies in a simulacrum of the X-1. The tablet with status reports was momentarily forgotten in his hand as he stepped behind the simulator chair to get a better look at the monitor.

Unlike the boys, who had fallen into a pattern of using the Buster and a random weapon selection from the machine's arsenal, her approach was more measured, dodging and weaving with the grace of a gymnast before delivering precise shots or closing in to dish out a punch or a spinning kick.

"Impressed yet?" she asked with a cherubic smile as she dodged out of the way of enemy fire before retaliating with another of the seemingly endless assortment of weapons – the Centaur Arrow, if he was not mistaken.

"Figures you'd go for the arrow." he remarked.

With a satisfied grin, she cleared the training exercise, stretched her limbs and looked at him over her shoulder from the simulator chair.

"So… When are you gonna let me have a crack at the real thing?"

"As if you needed my permission to do anything." he retorted with a smile and a shrug.

"Really now?" she joked, quickly getting up and heading in his direction with a mischievous grin plastered on her face. "Anything?"

"R-Roll, we're supposed to be working and there are other people here." he stammered, growing a little embarrassed at her tone and the way she was staring at him.

She quickly hopped forward and caught him in a bear hug before running a hand over his hair.

"I just thought you could use a little motivation boost."

"I won't exactly complain about that." he practically purred. She knew his weak spots far too well.

While he was managing to keep his own workaholic tendencies under control and coffee had no effect on his synthetic body, he too was beginning to grow restless about being stuck in the back lines, even if his work was allowing the team to keep on fighting. Roll was more than aware of this and had been trying to keep his spirits up however she could. By the look on his face, she knew she had succeeded. Enjoying the lingering contact, she stayed like that for a few moments before releasing him.

"Better?" she asked with a smile. He simply nodded in response.

"Well then." she added, chipper as always. "Since we're supposed to be working, what's next on the list?"

"Far too many things to count." he said with a sigh. "But unlike that brother of mine, I know how to delegate."

"You should probably start with that call." she suggested, pointing to one of the items on the list.

"Yeah…"

While the Titanium X forming most of the structure of the Robot Master machines was very sturdy by their world's standards, it was still not perfect. Producing flawless samples in large quantities had always been a challenge, compounded by the fact that any material transfers from the Earth next door were conditioned by the size of the gateway. X's plan to set up molecular furnaces locally had been postponed given the fact that there had simply not been enough time to do so during the process of assembling the Robot Master and Pantheon machines.

Even with the furnaces operational, they still weren't sure how long it would take to fully retrofit the machines. Still, according to X and both versions of Ciel, it would be more than worth the effort.

"In the meantime, I'll go make sure the Proto Machine's overhaul is finished." she said with a smile. "We want that thing to be ready just in case."

* * *

The next morning, in Neo Atlantis...

Refreshed after a thorough rest, Amelia decided to go for a walk, clad in one of her pink dresses and matching shoes, with a white wool sweater draped over her back to protect against the odd sea breeze. Blending in with the crowds, she took an electric bus to one of the seaside districts and descended from it on a white marble sidewalk in front of a large restaurant. Both it and the cafe next door were owned by a partnership between three families that dated back to the raising of the island and the founding of the nation.

At that hour, the cafe, decorated in a style reminiscent of a European teahouse with a Mediterranean touch, was still nearly empty, likely due to the fact that it was Sunday and the overall reduced crowds since the beginning of the alien invasion.

It was then that she recognized a familiar face. Though she was out of uniform, clad instead on a simple but elegant ensemble comprised of a white silk shirt, a yellow wool jacket, a matching skirt, black stockings and a pair of black shoes, her features were unmistakable.

"Sarah? What are you doing here?"

The petite Staff Sergeant raised her gaze from the blueberry shortcake in front of her and her face lit up with a smile.

"Doctor's orders." the young woman said. "Dr. Sune wanted me to take a break for my health's sake and Colonel Devon was heading here anyway to take care of some paperwork, so I ended up coming along for the ride."

"I thought she'd been reassigned to the Far East branch." Amelia said, scooting over to the table and helping herself to an empty chair.

"She has." Sarah explained, before switching to a lighthearted tone. "But you have no idea how scary that woman can be when you ignore her advice."

"You could have mentioned you were coming." Amelia said with a beaming smile. "We both missed you."

"I… didn't mean to impose." the young Staff Sergeant said, unusually timid.

"Is something wrong?" Amelia asked, seeing the stark contrast between the cheerful, almost bubbly persona she normally projected and the current display.

"I don't know." she admitted. "I've just been thinking about a bunch of things now that I don't have much to do."

"Like what?"

"Oh, random silly things, mostly. But after coming to the island, there's one particular thing on my mind."

With that, she leaned forward.

"Sometimes it feels like you and your brother are uncomfortable around me. That complicates things if we're going to keep working together."

"Is that really what it looks like?" Amelia asked, caught by surprise.

"Am I wrong?"

"Of course you are. He's worried about you." Amelia said, trying not to let anything slip about the storeroom incident. "We both are."

"Both of you? But why?"

"We know you." Amelia retorted with a shrug. "We don't need any other reason."

"Of course, that brother of mine can be a bit protective of the people around him." she added. "The Robot Masters, me, you. If someone isn't feeling well, it affects him."

"Really?"

"That's how he is." Amelia added with a smile. "And if he's not well, I'm not well. So if we look a bit tense around you, it doesn't mean it's your fault."

"I… see…" Sarah said, visibly relieved. "Has he always been like this?"

"Pretty much. I can be guilty of the same, but I learned how to manage it."

Sarah did not have an answer to that and instead stayed quiet for a moment. Feeling Amelia's stare, she finally spoke.

"Is there something on my face?" she asked.

"No." Amelia said, shaking her head. "You're looking better, that's all."

"What do you mean?"

Amelia straightened her glasses and leaned slightly forward.

"It's just you and me here. You don't need to keep up the cheerful act."

"You noticed…"

"Not at first." Amelia clarified. "But I've been keeping an eye on you. You strike me as the kind of person who's always trying to cheer up everyone around her. Just like Aunt Roll."

"I've never met her, but from what the boys mentioned… I can see why you'd think that."

"The difference is Roll has a bit more life experience and knows she can lean on other people." Amelia noted.

"My sister is pretty much my best friend." Sarah said. "But she has her own things to do and can't spend her whole time with me. The others mean well, but there are things you don't just bounce back from overnight… and I don't have time to wallow in these feelings."

"You're probably around my age, aren't you?" Amelia asked. "It may be hypocritical coming from me, but you're probably still too young to be handling an adult's workload."

"It does seem slightly hypocritical." Sarah retorted. "But you've got a point. The truth is, my sister and I were relocated to HQ to protect us. Some other staff did the same with their families. But I couldn't just stay in my quarters day in and day out reading novels. I had to make myself useful."

She sighed before continuing.

"I see Leo and other people I care about fighting out there, risking their lives. I need to do something to help, even if it's just preparing presentations and helping with logistics. But I can't help wondering something."

"What?" Amelia asked.

"Why did you choose to fight?"

"To be honest, my parents wanted to keep both my brother and I out of this." Amelia admitted. "When that failed, they tried to prepare us, still hoping it wouldn't be needed. I've got plenty of reasons to keep doing this willingly though."

"Like what?"

"Cliche as it sounds, I want to help protect the world." Amelia said with a determined expression. "Besides, our friends in the Robot Masters are fighting too and half of them are younger than us."

"That's fair…"

"But there's another reason." Amelia admitted. "That brother of mine is a gentle soul. Too kind and sensitive for his own good. But he still took on this burden without hesitating. I don't want to let him get hurt out there… or to let this war change him."

"Change him?"

"Ever since the invasion started, I see it in him." Amelia explained. "A pain that won't go away. And right alongside it, a fury that honestly scares me. I don't want him to lose himself."

"Family looking out for each other then." Sarah noted. "I can understand that."

"What about you?" Amelia asked. "Are you burning all your energy propping other people up? Forgetting about your needs?"

"I'm surprised. People who have known me for far longer couldn't tell… at least right away."

"Right now you don't have a briefing to deliver or a book to bury yourself in." Amelia said with certainty. Your guard slips here and there when you're not focusing on something."

"_Besides…" she thought with a heavy heart. "Your crying face is probably still haunting my brother's nightmares."_

"You don't beat around the bush, do you?" Sarah remarked, though she managed to crack a smile.

Amelia shrugged.

"I can be subtle when I want to, but there are times when it's best to cut to the point."

"So where are you going with this?"

"You don't have to smile unless you really feel like it. And if you don't feel like it, then hiding behind a forced smile isn't the best way of dealing with the issue."

"I don't have time to feel sorry for myself."

"I get it." Amelia said with a nod. "At your age you're already doing something remarkable. Taking a position of responsibility. People older than you look up to you."

"My sister is the genius." Sarah said rather dismissively. "I'm just trying to make myself useful to avoid thinking about… other things."

"We all do what we can." Amelia said with a sigh, not taking her eyes off the other girl. "But you're selling yourself short."

"You're starting to sound like my sister."

"So that's two of us." Amelia remarked with a grin. "Two certified geniuses telling you to appreciate yourself. What more do you need?"

"I suppose… at a time like this… what I need is a friend."

"You have two right here on the island." Amelia pointed out. "A bunch more overseas. From what I hear you're practically the MEC division's mascot at HQ too."

"T-There's a difference between being a mascot and a friend, you know." Sarah meekly protested. "But I do appreciate the way people are looking out for me."

She discreetly glanced towards a table in a corner of the room, and Amelia recognized the blond man and the bespectacled brunette woman sitting there in plainclothes from the mission briefings.

"Even now." Sarah added, her tone barely above a whisper. "They didn't have to come, but they asked the Commander for permission anyway."

"You're making my point for me."

"I still feel a little guilty for taking up their time. But they wouldn't take no for an answer."

"_Nobody wants to leave me unsupervised after what happened back then…" _she thought, suppressing a wince of discomfort.

"I guess it's harder for some people to let others look after them." Amelia pointedly noted.

"You have a point." Sarah conceded before quirking an eyebrow. "But wait… Go back a little."

"Hmm?"

"You said two friends. Did your brother put you up to this?"

"Him?" Amelia scoffed. "Oh please. If he knew you're here he would have come himself. In fact, having visitors will be good for him."

"Meaning?"

"Workaholic tendencies run in the family." Amelia said with a grin. "Sometimes we need someone to grab us by the back of the neck and drag us away from work for a while."

"You too?"

"Grandma and I are usually the ones doing the dragging. But it can happen, like when I was working on my first thesis."

"But back to the subject…" Amelia added, straightening her glasses. "When was the last time you took a break from the mission briefing pep talks, picking tracks for the base PA system or organizing those mini-events to keep up morale?"

"So you know about all that…" Sarah muttered, genuinely surprised. "You've done your homework."

"All I had to do was keep my ears open." Amelia said.

"Honestly, your sister was a bit worried you might be chugging down too many energy drinks." she added with a smirk. "You don't need to worry about any of that morale boosting stuff around us. Just try to relax. And if we see you slipping, we'll be there to pull you back up."

"I... appreciate that." Sarah said with a smile.

"Now then… since you're here, why not let me show you around?" Amelia suggested. "If you have time, maybe I can even show you our place."

"Honestly, I still don't know how many days we're staying here." Sarah admitted.

"Right. You didn't come alone."

"Uncle Rich-... I mean the Colonel…"

"The Colonel?" Amelia asked.

"Colonel Devon." she clarified. "Leo's father. I guess you haven't met him yet. He's practically part of the family. He was coming here on business and thought a change of airs would be good for me."

"Hmmm…" Amelia muttered. "Is he… you know, part of you-know-what?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't really go into much detail about his work. Probably for my own safety. Anyway, he'll be back in the evening or tomorrow morning. Marco and Fio are keeping watch but they don't want to make things weird."

"In that case I don't think any of them will mind." Amelia reasoned, her smile widening. "You're in good hands with us. Where are you staying anyway?"

Sarah glanced around and lowered her tone.

"Since we don't have any bases around here, I'm staying at the International."

"I'm glad I decided to step out and do some sightseeing." she added. "I might not have run into you otherwise."

"For my part, I'm glad we finally got to talk like this too." Amelia said, cracking another smile. "Without your sister watching you like a hawk and my brother gushing over her… brains."

Her choice of words made Sarah raise an eyebrow.

"You don't think…"

"Nah." Amelia said, shaking her head. "I mean, both you and her turn heads everywhere, but he's got other things on his mind. Sometimes to the point of obsession."

"Reminds me of someone I know." Sarah said with a snort. "Rachel hates it if someone interrupts her work for silly reasons. I remember when she was back in school. Some guy tried to hit on her while she was working on her lab project."

"What happened?"

"She didn't say anything. She didn't move from her spot. She just gave him a death glare so bad he ran away crying."

That was enough to make both young women chuckle.

"I can believe it." Amelia said with a nod, recalling the intensity with which the young woman would throw herself at her work. Before long, she was bulging her eyes out and putting up a deranged grin. "I can just imagine her clutching a test tube and going 'My precioussssss!'"

That remark soon had both of them laughing out loud.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Hikari Laboratory…

Sitting at his brother's desk, Hub pored over several design schematics and files related to the excavations underneath Neo Atlantis and the underwater ruins off the coast of Albion. The strange crystalline object X had brought them lay on the desk, mounted on a circular pedestal, with dots and circuitous patterns of white light flashing across its surface several times a second.

"So, what do you make of all of this, Usul?" he finally asked.

"I can see why X wanted me to come over." a soft male voice answered, seemingly from inside the artifact. "This technology is more similar to some things from my point of origin than anything I've seen in either of your Earths."

"It's definitely a strange set of coincidences." Hub pondered as he took the crystalline object in his hand, which glowed with a soft white light at his touch.

"Such things are rather rare, in my experience." the voice countered.

"Some of the systems inside the Leonarch and the Apotheosis are definitely too similar to your Radiant Shard's design." Hub said with a nod. "Even though they come from completely different worlds."

"And then there are the derivative designs you came up with." the voice added. "Your Radiant Circuit and the experimental systems you installed in the Gemini Machine. The fact that you were able to adapt this technology is impressive, but you are definitely retreading old ground."

"Could this mean that there were once Warriors of Light on this world?" Hub wondered.

"It is possible. Even likely. But I would have to see those machines up close to be certain."

"_It would explain a thing or two…"_ Hub pondered. _"Like how we were able to sense the inner workings of the Leonarch when our instruments failed. But if that's the case, what happened to them? How did these machines end up abandoned?"_

"More importantly…" the voice added. "Are you sure it's a good idea to let those children continue fighting out there when they have all those unresolved conflicts?"

"We've thought long and hard about this." Hub said. "They are talented, but still have room to grow. Shingo and Aya at each other's throats half the time. The boys getting carried away and doing reckless things."

"I cannot read minds, but I can sense your unease." the voice remarked. "I wouldn't want to be in your place."

"The Guts Brothers have big hearts and there's no one I'd trust more to look after them, but they need help. Even a small distraction could have serious consequences out there. We can't let that happen."

"It sounds like you already have a plan."

"We're done planning." Hub said. "My brother and I know the odds. The kids have managed so far, but things are going to get worse before they get better."

Crystal in hand, he stepped into an adjacent chamber and the large reinforced metal doors closed behind him.

"The plans are drafted. The preliminary testing is done. The production queues are set."

He kept walking, past another doorway and into a separate hangar where he came to a halt in front of a massive set of metal scaffolding.

"We've done what we could on the lab for now." Hub said, watching the dozens of metallic arms mounted on the walls and on rails tirelessly moving parts and fitting them together within the scaffolding. "Soon we'll take our place at their side."


	18. Escalation

Chapter 18 – Escalation

In one of the alien command vessels, in orbit over Phobos…

The richly decorated chamber, with ancient ornate tapestries hanging from its metal walls, was mostly dark, until the holographic projector mounted in its center hummed and came to life.

"Anthur tel Dalam." a woman's voice said, cold and emotionless.

The officer in question suppressed a shudder and stood at attention in front of the projector where the bluish image of a woman was looking down at him, clad in regally decorated robes. Her face was concealed underneath a featureless mask and her hair was done in a strange manner, almost resembling two pairs of wings pointing upward.

"Your Eminence…" he said, trying to avoid staring directly at the image.

"The reports coming in from the field are most disappointing." the woman said in a measured pace.

"Your Eminence, the natives are-"

"Have you forgotten your mission?" she cut him off, her tone still unsettling in its calmness.

"I have not." he said, trying to suppress the chill running down his spine. "But if you'll recall, Field Commander Xelmath tel Doren was the one-"

"The one in charge of retrieving the artifacts for study, yes." the woman cut him off again. "The very same artifacts you and your cadre of savages nearly destroyed in your carelessness."

He did not dare to protest or to raise his gaze, realizing he was treading on thin ice.

"Has your lust for battle clouded your judgement?" she continued. "Or are you simply inept? Answer me."

"Your Eminence… I believe your reports may be incomplete. The natives are putting up a surprising amount of resistance. Almost as if they were expecting us."

"Explain."

"They may not be able to take the fight to us in space, but they have war suits of their own. At least two armies and an elite unit that has proven most troublesome."

"Two armies, you said?" the High Priestess inquired. "Wielding war suits, no less?"

"Yes, Your Eminence. Highly trained. Their technology is on par with ours in many regards."

The High Priestess paused for a moment, digesting the new information, but remained as inscrutable as ever. Finally, she spoke again.

"Who are these primitives and how are they doing this?"

"The first group appears to be a covert organization of some sort. Despite our initial observations it seems that the human nations were able to assemble a considerable combined force. We still do not know their name, but they are fanatics, throwing themselves at our forces without a care for their lives."

"And the other group?"

"They call themselves… the Pantheon."

"The height of arrogance." the High Priestess remarked. "Those lowly primitives see themselves as gods?"

"Their choice of name aside, we were not prepared for the caliber of their machines. The rank and file are surprisingly capable… and their four command units are a menace in their own right."

"The reports mentioned that." the woman said, her tone absolutely chilling. "As well as your blunders. You somehow managed to lose not one but two battleships? Do you have any idea how long it will take to replace them? The fodder is one thing. They forfeited their futures by breaking their oaths to the Empire. Interstellar vessels, however…"

She paused for a moment, letting the Field Commander's own thoughts work against him. The High Priestess was one of the supreme authorities along with the Emperor. She did not need to put her threats into words to produce the desired effect.

Eventually, his fear of looking like an idiot just standing there overcame his fear of speaking out of turn and he tried to offer counter-argument.

"The first battleship was not the work of the rank and file." Anthur corrected. "They possess a strange one of a kind model that has been exceedingly troublesome. It cut the entire craft in two."

Trying to seize the initiative in the conversation, he quickly changed gears.

"Now that we have reinforcements in the form of actual soldiers instead of that rabble, things will be different, Your Eminence."

"We shall see. Continue your exposition."

Anthur tensed up, seeing that his reassurances had been met with skepticism, and quickly continued.

"Yes, Your Eminence. The final group is small, but incredibly fierce. They call themselves the Robot Masters and their machines are trouncing the lesser models of the Penal Regiment."

"_She doesn't need to know that we were beaten back by children."_ he fumed inwardly.

"They have already destroyed the Belkath, the Belkathis and over a hundred of our unmanned units and drones." he continued. "In fact, they found a way to subvert the drones so we were forced to stop using them. The danger they pose cannot be overstated. My adjutant is missing, presumed dead."

Anthur's hands nervously twitched behind his back.

"_If she hears about the Machine Souls, then…"_

The High Priestess paused for what felt like an eternity and then spoke again.

"It seems that at least part of the fault lies with the scouts then. Corrective action will be required. However, I do hope that your performance will improve now that you have actual soldiers at your disposal."

"There is… one more thing."

"Speak."

"Some unidentified elements have come to the aid of the Robot Masters as well. One is a small flying unit that has displayed some very unusual abilities. The other… was a human."

"And what of this human?"

Anthur paused, struggling with the words coming out of his mouth.

"He… broke the second battleship in half… with his bare fists."

The High Priestess paused, and even through the mask her withering glare was nearly palpable.

"If this is a jest, it is a poor one, Field Commander."

"It… it's all in the footage." Anthur defended himself. "You have only seen the written reports, correct?"

"Fair enough." the High Priestess conceded. "The long range uplink is finally set up. Send my adjutant everything."

Trying to hide his mixture of anger, fear and frustration, Anthur nodded, then clenched his trembling fists behind his back.

"_I will bring this backwater planet to its knees and deal with the Machine Souls myself."_

"We will speak again once the rest of the data has been examined." the High Priestess said. "But I will be awaiting your next report within three cycles, Field Commander. If you are able to salvage this situation and find what we require, then you will have proven your worth to our people."

She paused for the briefest of moments, letting Anthur's tension ease just slightly.

"However, should you continue to disappoint, we may need to reevaluate your fitness to oversee this operation."

With that, she ended the transmission, leaving her words hanging in the air. Left alone, Anthur sank to his chair, exhausted.

"_The family can't do anything now…" _he thought with growing dread. _"If the High Priestess herself is involved, I..."_

* * *

Meanwhile, at the hidden base underneath the Black Forest…

Rachel paced around a chamber in the laboratory wing, while Asaru listened to her report.

Behind her, a small group of older scientists continued their work on several electronic parts spread out on a wide workbench. Most of those would have looked right at home on a sci-fi movie, made of a dull gray alloy of some sort and with their conductive components fashioned out of some strange substance with a faint bluish glow instead of the copper and gold typical in devices produced on Earth.

"As you saw from the satellite and onboard camera footage, the second battleship suffered considerable damage." she said, still struggling to believe that a man had been able to jump such a ludicrous distance and punch it in half.

Asaru nodded but said nothing, allowing her to continue.

"Still, between the two battleships there were still enough salvageable components for us to finally start studying their communication systems in greater depth."

"And what is your assessment so far?" Asaru asked.

She finally stopped and stepped back towards the workbench, resting her hands on the edges.

"Sturdy and efficient." she summed it up. "But with clear signs of wear. Some of these components have been active for at least ten to fifteen years in a variety of hostile environments."

"Interesting." Asaru noted. "That would suggest these invaders either have limited production capabilities or are saving their newer units for something else."

"It also means that we are a step closer to…" she added.

"Yes." Asaru finished her train of thought. "That alloy they use on their outer plating has been a considerable challenge for our detection systems, but if we can identify their communication frequencies…"

"Exactly." she said with an almost maniacal grin. "Unless they go into full radio silence, we'll figure out how to track them sooner or later."

"Good." Asaru said with a nod. "We also need to determine where they're striking from. Since we haven't found any bases on the planet, they must have at least one fleet lurking about."

"Exactly what we were thinking, Commander." a man in his late twenties with long, unruly dark blond hair chimed in, momentarily looking up from his work through a pair of glasses with large round lenses. "We're working on a practical solution."

"How much time do you need to make that possible?" Asaru asked.

"We would need to identify the frequencies and calibrate all our detection equipment." Rachel mused. "Some hardware modifications may be in order. Even if everything goes well, the whole thing will never take less than three or four weeks."

"That is… better than I expected, actually." Asaru admitted.

"Modesty aside, we do have a very good team." Rachel said with open pride. "I'm still not sure why you asked me of all people to oversee it, but this experience has definitely broadened my horizons."

"Everyone here recognizes that you are an asset to the team." Asaru said. "What you lack in experience you more than make up for in drive and focus… not to mention your organizational skills."

"I suppose geniuses can be a temperamental lot." Rachel conceded. "Getting them to work in tandem may be a challenge of its own, but this work environment is very stimulating."

She was exaggerating a bit, and the others knew it. Despite the occasional clashes of egos and personalities, which she had to manage, she thoroughly relished being surrounded by experts on so many different fields and having the opportunity to learn from them.

"There is one more thing." she added, enjoying the praise but trying not to lose focus.

"From what we've seen so far…" she continued. "This equipment may still be beyond what Earth can produce right now but its range has limits. It could in theory receive and send transmissions as far as the edge of the solar system, but anything beyond that would likely require a dedicated relay or signal booster. The battleships did have some components that could have played that role, but they were too badly damaged for us to be sure."

"Then we should definitely keep an eye out for that." Asaru said with a nod. "I have no doubt now that this campaign will not be settled on Earth."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Sanctum of the Founders…

"Is this… really OK?" Sarah hesitantly asked.

Amelia smiled, glancing at her.

"Of course. Don't be silly."

With a smile, Amelia grabbed Sarah's sleeve and led her past the ground floor lobby, towards the elevator. The biometric touch pads near the door and next to the control panel allowed her through in a matter of instants. At the push of a button, the cabin bolted upwards, delivering the two a few floors upstairs. With a vigorous stride, Amelia led her guest outside and through the corridors until they reached the living area.

"So this is your home…" Sarah remarked. "Interesting place."

"It got remodeled a bunch of times." Amelia explained. "The Founders planned to use this as their offices but almost all of them died out before the setup was finished and then the place stayed empty for over twenty years."

Amelia led on past the living room and a small hall connected to a wide balcony, before reaching the area where her brother's bedroom door was, not far from her own. To her surprise, however, his door was open and the there was no one inside.

"Where did he go now?"

Curious, Sarah peeked inside. The place seemed almost unnaturally tidy, but that was not what drew her attention. Instead, she saw the replicas of famous paintings and the pictures of tapestries depicting knights of old, and her eyes lit up.

"Oh…"

"Yeah, his tastes are a bit out there, I know." Amelia said.

Sarah stepped closer to take a better look and smiled fondly.

"I've actually seen some of the originals up close. I shouldn't be too surprised that he's into this."

Then Sarah's eyes wandered to one of the bookcases and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Is that… a first edition?"

"Probably." Amelia said with a shrug. "You'll have to ask him about it since I'm not really into that stuff."

Staring at the books and artwork, she was confronted with some unpleasant thoughts.

"_Brutish savages… It's not good for him to cling to an idealized version of the past." _

A moment later, however, another thought crossed her mind, giving her something to smile about.

"_On the other hand, there are real knights here and now who live up to the ideal more than the old ones ever did… and he'd probably look pretty good in armor.__"_

Starting to look a little giddy, Sarah ran her fingers across the spine of one particular book, then carefully pulled it out and opened it, almost mesmerized by the texture and the scent of old paper.

"I read this for the first time when I was five. Never thought I'd see a first edition copy though."

"You're looking at that thing the way most people would look at a puppy." Amelia joked.

"You're not wrong..."

By this point, Sarah was actually looking a bit starry eyed.

"Looks like your brother is full of surprises. In fact, his collection may be as big as mine."

Amelia blinked.

"Wait… You too?"

"I guess a part of me always wanted to go on a grand adventure…" Sarah mused. "To see the world and…"

"Get swept off your feet by a knight on a horse?" Amelia teased.

A timid smile bloomed on Sarah's face.

"Something like that, maybe…"

Amelia grinned mischievously, but did not comment.

"I don't go around announcing it, but yes." Sarah admitted, coming down from her brief moment of glee. "Is it really that weird?"

"Not particularly." Amelia said with a shrug. "I just thought this was something a boy would be into. I always found it a bit too dramatic and a tad pretentious."

"So what exactly are you into? Apart from science, I mean."

"History, for starters. Sometimes we help out in the lab downstairs. Sometimes we go hiking together or spend a day around videogames. He's as much of a nerd as I am, but he usually goes to Alex about that whole knight stuff."

"You two sound close."

Amelia shrugged and flashed a cheeky grin.

"You've seen how big a softy he is. Somebody has to watch his back."

"It still confuses me…" Sarah remarked. "How someone such such a soft-looking face can fly into such a fury out there…"

"You and me both." Amelia said with a sigh, all trace of humor gone from her expression. "I hope we can do something about that anger. It just looks ugly on him. That's not the brother I know. But I didn't bring you here to talk about that."

"Really close." Sarah noted. "I noticed how you hover around him and like pushing his buttons."

"I know I can be a handful sometimes." Amelia admitted. "But someone has to watch his back and remind him that he doesn't need to fight this whole thing on his own."

The two girls heard footsteps outside the room. With an excited smile, Amelia turned around… only to find Phantom walking by in one of his formal black suits.

"I don't suppose you've seen that brother of mine?"

Phantom furrowed his brow.

"At this hour, I imagine he would either be training in his sparring room or getting some field practice with Fairy."

"Unbelievable…" Amelia grumbled.

After considering her options, Amelia reached for her watch and tried to reach her brother.

"Sis?" he answered. "Is something wrong?"

"Where are you?"

"Out on patrol. Got tired of sitting around."

The increasingly familiar sound of alien weapons fire was suddenly heard in the background.

"Sorry. Can't talk now. I'll be back in a couple of hours."

With that, he cut the transmission.

"Well, at least he's answering our calls now." Amelia muttered, rolling her eyes. "We'll just have to find something to do until then."

Sarah frowned.

"If this is a bad time, maybe we should…"

"No. You came all the way here so the least he can do is come say hi."

"I-It's not like I was planning to pay a visit from the start."

Amelia would not be swayed.

"Doesn't matter. You're here now. Besides, it'll be good for him to see how you're doing."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"We know you've been dealing with a lot of crap." Amelia explained, carefully omitting the scene her brother had witnessed. "And we've been worried about you. Especially him."

"Worried... about me?"

"To be honest, I hope seeing you will calm him down a bit." Amelia admitted. "He overthinks things a lot and gets worried about everyone. You've probably seen it by now."

"I… noticed."

"If you ask me, he takes that whole knight thing a bit too seriously." Amelia said with a sigh. "It's like he thinks he's personally responsible for protecting the whole world."

Phantom, who had lingered around, decided to break his silence.

"I agree with your assessment. That machine seems to have awakened a primal impulse in him… or perhaps exacerbated it. But without proper grounding, that can eventually lead to obsession."

Phantom was a little too familiar with excess zeal, having been created as an artificial being with a singular purpose, to which he had dutifully dedicated a good portion of his life. Given time and the opportunity to grow, in some part due to the Project Unity nanites bringing him closer to humanity along with his siblings, he had learned to find balance, though he had still retained his superhuman self-control as befitting a covert operative. Being familiar with his history, Amelia seized the opportunity to seek his advice.

"And what do you think we should do, Uncle?"

"Keep pushing." Phantom summed it up.

"Pardon?"

"Keep pushing until he gets through his thick head that he is not alone in this." Phantom elaborated. "We will continue to do whatever we can to support both of you, but he needs to learn to accept said support."

"_He doesn't even realize he's doing it, does he?" Sarah wondered. "But even the strongest of shields can't be everywhere."_

"So basically, we should continue what we're doing." Amelia mused.

"And do not be afraid of being more forceful." Phantom added with the hint of a grin. "Just try not to damage him too much."

"I spend most of my time these days surrounded by soldiers." Sarah mused. "Men and women who get sent out there to fight and may or may not come back alive. I'd rather not see anyone else dead or permanently damaged."

"That's OK." Amelia chimed in with a mischievous grin. "We can just give him a good shake if everything else fails."

Phantom casually glanced in Sarah's direction, his expression as inscrutable as usual.

"_Funny how some things work themselves out."_

With that, he checked his wristwatch.

"I have to go. You know where to find me if you need anything."

Amelia nodded and gave him a quick hug before letting him go on his way.

"So that's your uncle?" Sarah asked once he was out of earshot. "Interesting man. Gives me the same kind of vibe as Leo and Uncle Rich."

"He's hard to read and can be a little scary sometimes, but he's really sweet once you get to know him." Amelia said with a smile.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Hikari Laboratory's ground floor break room...

"So, Sage…" Raito said. "What exactly did you come to deliver this time?"

"You'll find out soon enough." the Guardian said with the hint of a smile. "I expect your father will be calling the team together when it's time to unveil it."

"You guys sure like your surprises." Raito said with a grin. "But by the way… about that Tornado Bullet of yours…"

"Yes?" Sage asked with a wince, deducing where the conversation was going.

"You know that looks a lot like…"

"Fine…" Sage grumbled. "It does."

The boy quirked an eyebrow, surprised by the Guardian's reaction.

"Why do you look so annoyed about it?"

"Because after all the work I put into developing that technique, I found out that somebody had already come up with the idea half a century ago." Sage grumbled.

Raito blinked, caught off guard by the explanation.

"Really? That's it?"

"It was a lot of work." Sage grumbled. "I wanted to create something new and original, befitting my role as a warrior of the skies."

"I still think you're overreacting a bit. I mean, at this point pretty much everything has been done somewhere."

"That's not the part that annoys me though."

"Then what's the matter?"

"I didn't even know that stuff existed until Fighter randomly stumbled into it one day." Sage reminisced with a scowl, rolling his eyes. "Since then, he doesn't miss a chance to rub it in."

"Just what I'd expect from him." Raito scoffed. "You four may look all serious and proper when you're out in public but we know how you are in private."

Sage scoffed, allowing the hint of a smile to bloom on his face.

"If you'd met us twenty years ago you'd probably have mistaken us for a bunch of robots. I guess we really changed after Fairy talked us into getting those modifications and becoming closer to humanity."

"Not to mention how you got adopted into the family." Raito added. "Didn't they even give you human names at one point?"

"They did. But we save those identities for the people we're closest to. To the world, I'm Sage Harpuia of the Four Guardians. To my family, I am Ikaros Atreides."

"Ikaros? The guy with the wax wings?" Raito asked with a grin.

"Yes, the guy with the wax wings. Neo Atlantis has people from all parts of the world, but since the First Founder was Greek the family takes some pride in knowing the language and culture."

"I guess it means a lot that you told me that name just now." Raito deduced.

As the Guardian continued to speak, his expression softened, his annoyance at his sibling forgotten for the time being.

"What can I say? We've watched you and your siblings and cousins grow since the day you were born. It's difficult not to get attached. So don't go and get yourselves blown up out there."

Then he winced slightly.

"I know you're at that age when you get embarrassed talking about this kind of thing, so I'll drop the subject now."

"Hey, it's not like you're getting all lovey dovey in front of me." Raito replied with a cheeky grin. "I get enough of that at home."

"You're laughing now, but one day that'll be you." Sage retorted, flashing a grin of his own. "In fact, from what I hear…"

"Let's not go there." Raito quickly interrupted, feeling a slight rush of heat to his face.

"Fair enough. But it's good that you already know what you want at your age. Your father used to drive your mother crazy."

Raito let out a laugh.

"Yeah, I know. People still poke fun at him about it sometimes. It's amazing how someone so smart can be so thick."

"But anyway…" he added, eager to change the subject. "Did you ever get around to watching Combattler after that?"

"I did." Sage admitted. "In fact, I ended up enjoying it."

"Really? You too? Ako loves it."

"Despite its absurdity, it does have a certain... old time charm. I just wish that troll of a brother would shut up about it."

"I suppose annoying each other is part of being family." Raito remarked with a cheeky green. "My dad does it to Uncle Hub all the time. I do it to Crash all the time."

"You do have a point." Sage conceded before a mischievous smirk crept upon his face. "What that brother of mine forgets is… two can play that game."

"And just like that, you're switching gears." Raito remarked with obvious amusement.

"I never claimed not to have a sense of humor." Sage retorted with a shrug. "But there's a time and place for such tomfoolery. The middle of battle or training are just not it."

"Fair enough. But I wonder if Dad's gonna spring the surprise today or..."

As if on cue, Raito's PET rang.

"Speak of the devil." the boy remarked, seeing the caller ID and quickly answering. "So…"

"I guess things weren't gonna stay quiet for long." Lan grumbled as his face appeared on the screen. "I've already called the others. When they get here, could you get everyone upstairs?"

"Got it. Where are the bastards hitting this time?"

"Too many places." Lan said gravely. "They haven't been out in these numbers since the attack on the base. Something has them in a frenzy."

With that, he ended the call.

"I guess I should get going then." Sage said, standing up from the couch. "I'll see you out there."

Unnerved by his father's tone, Raito quickly stood up as well and darted around the hallways until he ran into Alexander.

"Ah. You're still here. Good."

"Where else would I be at a time like this?" Alexander asked.

"You've heard it too, right?"

"Pretty much." Alexander confirmed with a nod.

Raito's face took on an unusually serious expression.

"Well, while we're waiting for the others, maybe we can finally talk about a little something. Have you seen that cousin of mine?"

The prince scratched his chin with a pensive frown.

"I can guess what this is about. But answering your question, I think I saw him in the cafeteria."

The two headed in that direction and sure enough, as soon as they pushed the double doors open they found Maito eating a sandwich, blissfully oblivious to everything else.

With the Copy Bot upgrades over the years allowing for full taste and digestion with none of the health consequences humans would face, some Navis had developed quite a taste for food. Then there were others like Maito, who, in typical Hikari fashion, seemed to have a bottomless stomach.

"Why do even need a reactor when you eat for three people on a good day?" Raito teased, breaking him out of his moment of food induced rapture.

"In case you and Uncle Lan eat all the food on your own." Maito retorted with a cheeky grin, without missing a beat.

"So…" Alexander said as both boys sat next to him at the same table. "I'm guessing you've got questions about this whole Warrior of Light business."

"Yeah." Raito confirmed. "Dad told us a couple of things, including that you've got a talent for it too."

"I don't really have that much to tell you, to be honest." Alexander admitted. "Yes, they gave me an explanation and showed me a couple of things they can do with that power, but I haven't figured out how to use it outside the Leonarch yet."

"So it's true." Maito added. "That Judgement Buster and the thing you did with the sword…"

"Any knight worth his salt ought to know how to smite evil." Alexander remarked with a smile. "I still don't know what to think of all of this, but the way I see it, I have a duty and responsibility. Not just as a prince, but as a human being and a child of Earth."

"I'm not exactly surprised." Maito commented. "You and Sir Knight always had a bit of a hero thing going. Just like our parents."

"But you ride alone." Raito pointed out. "Have you ever used…?"

"No, I've never used Full Synchro." Alexander explained.

The young prince looked at the two nearly identical cousins and sighed.

"To be honest, it sounds a bit scary. To be so completely connected to someone else, laid completely bare."

At times like those, the boys were still surprised at how bashful he could be about some things.

"Let's not mix things up." Maito said. "We're talking about Full Synchro, not marrying someone."

"Well…" Alexander awkwardly said, caught off guard by the shift in the conversation. "I do remember hearing that back in the day there was a reason why boys would usually get boy Navis and girls would get girl Navis."

"What do you mean?" Raito asked, a little dumbfounded.

"Even without Full Synchro, some things can get a bit… complicated." Alexander explained. "Or so I hear."

"Oh…" Maito muttered. "You mean like…"

"Yes, like a Navi and operator getting too attached to each other." Alexander said with a sigh. "I guess your great-grandfather overlooked that possibility. Last I checked, three fifths of the human population were still attracted to the opposite gender."

He then sighed and composed himself.

"Of course I'm not speaking from personal experience and things aren't always so simple. Sir Galahad used to be my mother's Navi, but they were always like family even if he insists on a degree of respectful subservience."

"But wait…" Raito realized. "Now that I think about it..."

"No, I've never had a Navi myself." Alexander confirmed. "But what about you two?"

"If you mean the whole Navi and operator thing…" Raito muttered. "Well…"

"It's true that we played at it when were were little kids, but it started feeling a bit weird." Maito finished. "Maybe because I have an actual body and don't live in a PET."

"But what about the other kind of connection?" Raito asked with a mischievous grin, eyeing the prince.

"Stop mixing things up, doofus." Maito scolded, lightly elbowing him in the ribs.

"Sorry to disappoint." Alexander retorted, looking a little uncomfortable. "But that hasn't happened yet."

"Really now?" Raito asked, looking genuinely surprised.

"With your face and confidence, I'm surprised." Maito remarked.

"I can't do anything about my face." Alexander said with a smile. "I have my mother to thank for it, among other things. But while I may have been taught to project confidence, there's a difference between delivering a speech to an entire room and speaking to a person one on one. Presenting yourself to the public and opening up to someone on a personal level."

"Meaning you can still be a huge dweeb like the rest of us." Raito remarked, grinning again. "Good to know."

"I guess it was a bit rude of us to pry like that." Maito admitted with some shame. "But you can't blame us for being curious."

"I do have my family's reputation to consider." Alexander pointed out. "I can't just go around acting carelessly. But even if I were inclined towards such pursuits, I still believe in waiting for the right person. Not to mention..."

His smile shrank and he let out a sigh.

"Most people look at me and only see a handsome face or the family name. It can be very difficult to build meaningful connections with others when you are the heir to the throne… or to have a personal life with the tabloids constantly hounding my family and half the country watching what I do. The pressure can take its toll… on me and on anyone I might choose."

"Aya doesn't seem to mind." Raito pointed out.

"Oh you." Alexander retorted with a scoff. "But yes, I find that very few things faze that girl."

"Not to mention she can't give you a rest for five minutes." Maito remarked, visibly amused.

"She does enjoy pushing my buttons when she gets the chance." Alexander conceded. "And make no mistake. She is a very dear friend, but I doubt I could give her or anyone else what they deserve right now. I have duties to fulfill, including winning this damned war."

"I guess we all do." Maito conceded. "We're still a bunch of kids but we're already doing things most adults wouldn't dream of."

"So anyway…" Raito said, trying to lighten the mood. "It sounds like you don't know much more than us. About the glowing bits, that is."

"Afraid not." Alexander confirmed. "My parents and the Professors had a conversation with me not long before I took the Leonarch out for the first time. They noticed my affinity but were not expecting me to be the one piloting the machine."

"So, they gave you the same rundown?" Maito asked. "About having to experience some things before you can understand them and not creating expectations?"

"Pretty much." Alexander confirmed. "And they talked a bit about that Radiant Circuit they developed. Honestly, even after the things we've already seen it still feels weird to see them doing that glowing hand thing."

"Yeah, it's a bit out there." Maito chimed in, before finishing his sandwich.

"What about Atreus?" Raito asked. "Does he know anything about this?"

"Considering that our machines are related, it's a safe assumption that they'd run on similar energy." Alexander mused. "But I don't know if he was told about this stuff. Not to mention…"

"That thing of his gives you the creeps too?" Raito deduced.

The prince nodded.

"The white light I've seen you, your parents and the Leonarch give off is soft, warm. That golden one… feels harsh, angry, like it would burn you if you got too close."

"That's pretty much what everyone's been saying about it." Raito said with a scowl.

"But does it come from him or the machine?" Maito wondered.

"I don't know." Alexander said. "It wouldn't be far-fetched to think he might have the same potential, but I've never seen him show any sign of it. There has to be some reason why those two… beings… need him to be inside it, but I really don't know what's going on."

"I think we need to have a talk with him and Amelia later." Raito concluded, before glancing over his shoulder and out one of the windows. "But for now, it looks like the others have arrived."

* * *

A few minutes later, at one of the meeting rooms...

"What do those assholes even want?!" Shingo fumed, sitting behind one of the desks with his arms crossed. "They just swoop in, start shooting and tearing places down, then we beat them and they come back later. It doesn't make any sense!"

"We still don't know." Lan said, standing nearby. "They seem to be looking for something, but we still have no idea what."

"_Apart from that whole Machine Soul thing…"_ Lan pondered. _"That other guy went out of his way specifically to pick a fight with the boys… Why?"_

With that, he headed back to his own desk facing the others.

"But we don't have time for guessing now." he added with a sigh. "Our allies are already scrambling. We need you to drive the aliens off the nearest hot spot."

"But before you head out…" Hub added, entering the room and holding the door open. "We've got something for you."

Ms. Yumi stepped into the room, carrying a few labeled packages, which she deposited on each team member's desks.

"What's this?" Aya asked, reaching for hers and feeling something soft underneath the wrapping paper.

"We thought it was time to work on some quality of life improvements." Lan explained. "We've already added some extra padding to the cockpit chairs and some extra folding seats in case you need to carry anyone else."

From the back of the room, Alexander watched with a smile.

"_They're pretty much living every kid's dream."_

Then his expression darkened slightly.

"_But they've already had a taste of what's out there. I'll have to stay at the top of my game to make sure they all make it through this in one piece."_

"So now is a good time to bust these out too." Hub added with a smile. "This should put an end to the bruises. And don't worry. After last time, we made sure these used the right measurements."

"You didn't!" Maria squealed, opening her package and finding inside a new piloting suit, complete with matching boots, gloves and an open-faced helmet with a retractile visor.

While the ensemble was still made of synthetic fibers, it looked somewhat sturdier, with reinforced patches protecting the elbows, knees and other sensitive areas as well as a glossy coating that gave them an extra bit of flair.

"Oh boy!" Maito cried out excitedly. "Now we're really gonna look like those costumed superheroes!"

Sitting at the desk to his left, Raito flashed a smug grin, which did not escape his cousin's notice.

"Don't you start…" Maito grumbled.

"Haven't even said anything yet." Raito retorted, flashing a smug grin. "But if the shoe fits..."

"Guess we'd better work on the group pose later." Dex remarked with a chuckle, ignoring the two boys.

"Protective layers." Lan listed off, trying not to laugh at their antics as he turned a spare jacket – which just happened to be his size – in his hands and showed off the inner layers. "Water, fire and weatherproof. This mesh will keep water out but still let your skin breathe, so you won't have to worry about the heat or getting sweaty."

Then he glanced at the Guts Brothers and flashed them a mischievous grin.

"You three also won't have to worry about tearing the fabric when you go all out."

"Ya know what?" Dex retorted with good humor, recalling one particular incident during his practice sessions. "It's true. Not gonna deny it."

"When this is all over maybe we can start our own superhero TV show." Chisao mused. "We already have props and all."

"Not like Mr. Mayor over there is gonna hold his day job much longer if he keeps running off." GutsMan remarked from his seat.

"Ya'd be surprised." Dex retorted, looking rather pleased with himself. "Yeah, I feel a bit crappy about putting Ms. Nanako on the spot, but it turns out people are lovin' the whole Robot Masters thing."

"I sure wouldn't want to be your secretary bro." Chisao noted. "No offense."

"Yeah and I'm pretty useless as a mayor without her." Dex said, lowering his voice. "Gonna have to think of some way to make it up to her later."

"I like it." Raito said.

"They do look rather dashing." Aya conceded, trying not to look too giddy at the prospect of trying her new suit on for the sake of propriety.

"And comfortable." Maria added with a beaming smile. "Thank you. They're lovely."

"Good to know." Lan said with a smile of his own. "Go on then. Go get suited up. We'll give you the rest of the details on the go since we're still piecing some things together."

While the others started making their way to the locker rooms, Alexander spotted Shingo lagging behind. Seizing the opportunity, he stopped and wait for the others to leave.

"Shingo, right?" Alexander said. "Maria's brother?"

"Yes." the boy in question answered, a little surprised that he'd remembered.

"Before we head out, I have to ask. Is something wrong?"

"Allergies are flaring up again, I suppose." Shingo said.

Upon closer inspection, Alexander did realize that the younger boy's eyes were somewhat reddish, but he was not satisfied with the answer.

"Is that all?" he insisted.

"What do you mean?"

"I couldn't help noticing that something was amiss." Alexander remarked. "The way you tensed up when Aya entered the room. The way you wouldn't look at her."

"Did my sister put you up to this?" Shingo asked with a hint of annoyance.

"What are you talking about?" Alexander asked, caught by surprise.

"So she didn't?" Shingo insisted, before letting out a sigh. "She means well, but sometimes she doesn't know when to let go."

"She did mention some… difficulties in passing, but she did not ask for this. Is there something you need to talk about?"

"I'd rather not…" Shingo said with a pained expression.

"Look, I can tell something is bothering you." Alexander said with a frown. "It's not good to head out there with-"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Shingo snapped, before stopping himself. "Look, I don't have the right to tell Maria who she can or can't be friends with, but that doesn't mean I have to get along with… her."

Again, what Alexander saw in his face was not simple anger, but anguish.

"You can't even bear to say her name? Why?"

"Why don't you ask her?!" Shingo hissed, clenching his fists. "Why don't you ask her what she did, if you want to know so badly?!"

And with that, he stormed off, before Alexander could see the tears pooling in the corners of his eyes.

"_Something doesn't __add up__ here…"_ the prince pondered. _"She can be harsh at times and I know she has a bit of a temper, but..."_

Putting such thoughts aside for the time being, he rushed to the hangar where he had left the Leonarch.

* * *

"Data is still coming in, but the aliens are definitely on the move." Hub chimed in through the shared channel as the machines launched. "There's something different about their tactics so we're not completely sure what they're doing."

"So what do we do?" Raito asked, trying to take charge a bit.

"For now, we make sure the city is covered." Lan explained. "We'll have a better idea of where we're needed in a few more minutes."

Shortly after the group had departed, Saizo and Sagiri entered the laboratory and headed directly for the mission control room.

"Guess we missed them." Sagiri deduced, watching the twins at their posts while Tron and Ms. Yumi monitored status readouts from the machines on dedicated consoles.

"Sorry, but this really isn't the best time." Hub said. "Do you need something?"

"We were about to ask you the same." Saizo answered. "The President did ask us to do whatever we can to make your job easier."

"Not that I wasn't going to do that either way, since family is involved." Sagiri added.

"I don't suppose you've got some kind of supercomputer that can tell us what exactly the aliens want?" Lan asked with a dose of irony.

"Afraid not." Sagiri replied.

"Pity." Hub said. "But maybe there's another thing you can help us with."

"Go on." Sagiri said.

"The Commander probably has his hands full right now." Hub reasoned. "So we need to get in touch with someone else."

"Well, you have Major Yeager's contact, right?" Lan asked, glancing at Saizo. "If we could swap some information about what our people and his are doing in the region, maybe we can wrap this up faster."

"On it." Saizo said, reaching for his cellphone.

"Wait, you're calling the Major on a regular phone?" Hub realized.

"Military grade encryption." Saizo explained with one of his wolfish grins. "The President isn't sparing any expense."

Less than a second later, Gilliam's voice answered the call.

"Yes, Mr. Tokito?"

Saizo skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.

"Sorry for the timing, but the Professors only have a direct line to the Commander, not you."

"I see. I can imagine why they would call at a time like this. Could you…?"

Saizo handed the phone to Lan and he took over from there.

"I figured since we're all working together it wouldn't hurt to swap notes." Lan reasoned.

"I take it you want to know about our deployments in the Far East region then." Gilliam deduced. "We'll have to give you some better access later so we don't have to do this over the phone."

Gilliam paused for a moment, consulting some readouts from Kiryu-Kai mission control.

"But for now, there are four engagement points between your location and the mainland. I'm sending the coordinates to you now."

"We've got an incoming data stream." Hub confirmed. "Here we go."

On one of the large mounted displays, what looked like a snapshot of the Geoscape data appeared with two locations marked on the islands and two on the mainland.

Lan tensed up and clenched his fists as he saw the locations, especially one that he was quite familiar with.

"We have a separate division handling things on the mainland." Gilliam informed. "Captain Deikun and Lieutenant Ray are heading out with a squadron from Kiryu-Kai to deal with one of the sites on the islands. Since I was in the region on other business I'll be lending them a hand."

"We'll take care of the Yoka region." Lan said resolutely. "It's the closest to us and..."

He didn't want to admit out loud that this had just become a personal matter due to several of his friends and acquaintances living there, but the concern was still evident in his tone.

"Understood." Gilliam answered, almost sounding as if he had anticipated this. "We'll try to get the situation under control before the collateral damage starts mounting."

"_As for Asaru's taste in mission names, that will will have to wait..."_

"In the meantime, we'll keep an eye on things here." Saizo chimed in. "If anyone tries another attack on the lab while the kids are distracted…"

"They'll be in for a nasty surprise." Sagiri added with a vicious grin.

"I'm sure you'll put it to good use." Gilliam remarked.

From her post, Ms. Yumi glanced at the pair of VTX representatives.

"_Those two… What is Gilliam up to now?"_

* * *

Twenty minutes later the Robot Masters arrived at Yoka.

The scenic countryside, known for its hot springs, traditional inns and sprawling nature preserve with a camping park, was a refuge for weary city dwellers and the occasional tourist from overseas. Since the beginning of the alien invasion, however, the area had been mostly deserted. Instead of tourists or locals, the group instead found about twenty of the advanced infantry models, along with a handful or armored units. More seemed to be buzzing about farther ahead.

"What could they possibly want from a place like this?" Alexander wondered, keeping the Leonarch's shield raised.

"Whatever they want, they ain't gettin' it." Dex said, cracking his knuckles.

"Robot Masters!" GutsMan bellowed. "Kick their asses!"

Clearly in a foul mood since the conversation with Alexander, Shingo remained completely silent. Not wasting time with banter or discussing tactics, he instead rushed ahead, ramming the Drill Machine into the first opponent in front of him. He landed a lucky hit, somehow bypassing the shields and unceremoniously tearing through the alien machine's midsection before discarding it and moving on to the next one.

"Damnit boy…" Dex hissed. "Not now!"

Still fuming, Shingo ignored his mentor and pressed on. From his left, an armored model came charging in, only to be greeted by a Boost Knuckle to the leg. Given the effectiveness of the blow, it seemed that at least some of the armored models were not shielded. As it tumbled to the ground on its back, Shingo fired a pair of Drill Missiles at its face, destroying the optic sensors. Without sparing a second glance, he continued his onslaught.

"_What's the matter with him?" _Maria wondered with some concern, chasing after him. Seeing her motion, the nearly identical cousins did the same.

"Guys, don't break formation!" Maito warned. "We still don't know what those new models can do."

"What is that fool doing?" Aya hissed to herself.

Apprehensive, Alexander gave chase as well, keeping his shield raised and ready. A pair of alien pilots took an interest in the Leonarch only to be rebuked with a Judgement Buster and a throw of the spear. While the aliens had begun to deploy the more elaborate infantry models in force, these two were still built from the basic template and, lacking shields, quickly fell.

A pair of the new shielded models came at Shingo next, peppering the Drill Machine with concentrated fire. While the impacts would normally have at least left some superficial scorching, instead the metal reacted with brief white shimmers as each shot connected, harmlessly dissipating the energy.

"New upgrades?" NumberMan wondered as he watched. "I haven't heard anything about those."

From above, Sage monitored the situation, scouting for targets.

"_What is that boy doing?"_ he wondered, quirking an eyebrow.

Alexander moved the Leonarch just in time to block another barrage of enemy fire, buying Shingo some time to counterattack. The skinny boy growled and fired out both Boost Knuckles at the same time, knocking them off balance and mangling a good portion of their torsos.

Above, Sage brought the Great Harpuia into a dive, swooping around them with both blades ignited, strongly discouraging more of the aliens from joining in through the application of violence.

Alexander followed up, dismissing the sword and summoning the spear, piercing through the shields of one of the alien machines and puncturing its reactor. Shingo recalled the Drill Machine's forearms and focused both Boost Knuckles on the second target, ripping through its torso and limbs. While he was not aiming to kill, he made sure to thoroughly demolish everything apart from the cockpit block.

"Are you quite all right?" Alexander asked, a little surprised at Shingo's ferocity.

"Let's just nail these bastards and get out of here." the skinny boy grumbled.

The Drill Machine's thrusters flared and it rushed its assailants, revving up its wrist-mounted drills and charging at another group of enemies. The aliens stood their ground, however, and adjusted something on their rifles. Before the green unit could deliver its signature piercing punches, the aliens fired again, unleashing not the usual rapid streams of small projectiles but rather a pair of larger, concentrated ones, which exploded on impact. The strange energy was not enough to absorb that kind of damage, and the Titanium X frame shuddered, sporting a pair of fresh holes.

"_That went through…"_ Maria realized with a chill.

Unwilling to let her brother continue facing his opponents alone, she tried to rush in, but before she could get close enough, a third shielded unit moved in to flank the Drill Machine.

"Watch it!" Dex bellowed, before demolishing his opponent's faceplate with a tremendous punch and charging in to guard his pupil.

Alexander intervened, blocking another barrage with his shield, before a pair of armored models tackled the Leonarch, taking up his attention. Another armored unit's pilot decided to try its luck, going for the Drill Machine's exposed back but Maria was having none of it.

"Get away from him!" Maria shouted, conjuring one of the Gemini Machine's hard light barriers right in front of the charging alien robot. Unable to stop or change trajectory in time, it slammed into the barrier.

"_Now that I think about it…" _Raito realized, keeping an eye on her while taking potshots at any enemy units that got in range. _"Dad said all our machines had a Radiant Circuit. __Does that mean…__?"_

From above, Sage intervened, bringing the Great Harpuia into another dive. Its wrist blades flared and the same energy spread until it had engulfed its entire body.

"Eat this…" he hissed. "Air Cutter!"

Then, instead of plunging into his target as usual, he abruptly brought the machine back up, unleashing a huge crescent-shaped energy wave that vertically bisected the first alien machine it impacted. The second one right behind it, however, was able to fire up its shields on time and make it out with just a large gash in its head.

"There's definitely something different about these guys…" Maito noted, as a group of five shielded infantry models entered the fray, moving in tight formation and focused fire on Aya.

The Spark Machine's electric barrier crackled and shuddered as an explosive projectile of some sort impacted it from behind, followed by a second. Another group of four shielded infantry models approached from the opposite side, toting what looked like rocket launcher equivalents.

"Mongrels!" Aya growled, as she retaliated with a Spark Shock. The burst of electricity tore through the alien shields, immobilizing one of the offending machines, but the others continued firing.

The Spark Machine's barrier crackled and shuddered again under the impact of more projectiles from both sides, but still held for the time being.

"Away with you!" Maria shouted, unleashing a Gemini Beam at the formation of rocket wielding units.

Rather than overloading the shield with brute power, the beam instead penetrated in a concentrated spot. Judging by the shower of sparks, that struck something important but the remaining enemies did not relent.

Rid of his assailants after a judicious application of sword and spear, Alexander moved in to shield the Gemini Machine, buying Maria enough time to get closer to the Spark Machine and project another of its hard light walls. However, that still left the gunners on the other side.

"Pick on somebody your own size, assholes!" Dex taunted, as the Guts Machine opened its arms and rushed the larger group. Ignoring the projectiles peppering its plating, Dex crossed the distance and plowed through them.

Meanwhile, the X-1 found itself up against another squad, headed by what looked like a command unit, with gaudier golden decorations on its chest and limbs and a horned headpiece.

The lead pilot was clearly skilled, having managed to avoid the dreaded Metal Blades that had cut through two of their subordinates' units, but they found themselves unable to strike a decisive blow. Similarly, the boys tenaciously continued their assault, dodging the blasts of an energy cannon of a similar model to the one they had copied in Olisipo, but struggling to find an opening.

"Time to put more of the arsenal to use, I think." Raito said. "Pick a good one."

Maito nodded and scrolled through the list, quickly making up his mind.

"Mega Buster Cannon…"

"Fire!" Raito added.

With a thunderous roar, the purple energy blast erupted from the Buster, but missed the target by a hair's breadth.

"Damnit…" Maito hissed as the stray shot blasted a crater on a vacant patch of earth.

"We've gotta be extra careful in places like this…" Raito noted. In retrospective, he was surprised and relieved they hadn't accidentally hit any buildings or cars in their previous battles.

The Leonarch streaked past them, shield raised, and rammed another of the alien units right in the face with it before bringing up the Greater Curtana.

"SMITE!"

With Alexander's roar, the blade was once again engulfed in white flames and with a mighty swing it severed his opponent's left arm before discharging the remaining energy in the form of an explosion.

"So we close the range." Maito said, steering the X-1 into a roll to avoid a burst of retaliatory fire. "Too bad we can't get Full Synchro to work when we want to."

Through the corner of their eyes, they noticed some of the rank and file moving around and trying to surround them, using the attempt at a duel as a distraction. Fortunately, Alexander and the Guts Brothers were paying attention and quickly dismantled the plan with another wild charge.

"We can't expect Full Synchro to fix all our problems, but yeah, it would be nice to get a grip on it…" Raito said with a nod, before throwing a Metal Blade at an alien unit that had strayed too close, bypassing the shield and leaving its torso flailing around on the ground. "Try to remember. How did we get it to work before?"

Maito tried to answer, but a burst of fire from the alien leader snapped him back to attention.

"Oh yeah?! Eat this!" he shouted, firing another shot of the weapon copied from Gilliam's machine.

Though the alien unit's energy barrier took the brunt of it, there was still some visible damage to the plating.

"Focus…" Maito said, following up with a dash and launching a pair of Metal Blades as a distraction. "Don't try to force it. Stay calm and let it come. In the meantime, we'll give this asshole a fight like he's never seen."

With surprising agility, the X-1 shifted into a lower stance and thrust its right leg forward, sliding underneath another burst of fire as it plowed through the earth. As its Buster built up a charge, a hum grew inside.

* * *

Around that time, somewhere over the North Atlantic…

"And done." Atreus said to himself as the remains of the last unmanned drone crashed into the waves.

It was rather therapeutic, he found, to release some tension on the remote control units. No ethical dilemmas, no considerations about living beings and fighting over the ocean he did not need to concern himself with collateral damage. In his early teens he had sparred with Alexander from time to time after discovering their shared interest, but eventually he had taken to practicing by himself, scared of hurting anyone by accident. The irony of finding himself at the controls of the Apotheosis, with a gigantic blade and other weapons capable of dealing very real and permanent damage, did not escape him.

Again, his thoughts turned to his friends in the Far East.

"_I wonder if they're OK out there… Maybe I should check up on them."_

The construct's speed was something else he was still getting used to. He was still discovering its upper limit but he had seen that it could at the very least keep pace with the Great Harpuia.

On a whim, he reached out to the lab's phone line.

"Sorry, but we're a little busy right now." Lan answered.

"Did something happen?"

"The aliens are making a mess in Yoka. The others have headed there with Alex and Sage."

"I see…"

Without another word, Atreus turned the construct around and soared in a new course.

* * *

Back to Yoka…

Shingo finally realized his mistake. He had run too far on his own and made himself an easy target. Fuming inwardly at his recklessness, he also recognized that he was not the only one paying the price for it.

Unleashing her own temper and the Spark Machine's overpowered generators, Aya was putting up quite a fight, but the repeated blows were depleting her machine's barrier faster than it could be replenished. To make matters worse, the Gemini Machine, still tailing them, tripped on a large piece of debris and nearly fell over.

"Damnit…" Shingo hissed to himself.

He abruptly turned the Drill Machine around and charged again, spraying his entire stock of Drill Missiles and making as much of a nuisance of himself as humanly possible. Sure enough, the aliens diverted their attention from the lightning spewing robot to the one furiously tearing through their formation.

"What do you think you are doing?!" Aya hissed. "Fall back!"

Ignoring her yet again, Shingo stood his ground, putting up a desperate fight with the increasingly battered Drill Machine to keep the aliens at bay.

"Fall back!" she insisted. "What is wrong with you?!"

"_What does he think he's doing?"_ Maria wondered, trying to clear her head while silently thanking the Professors for the new helmets.

From the lab, Lan watched with growing apprehension as he stood in front of one of the mission control room consoles.

"Damnit…" he muttered, clenching his fists. "Don't lose your head at a time like this, Shingo!"

While he wasn't particularly thrilled to be reduced to a spectator on those battles, he had learned to accept it, at least for the time being. He had, however, grown to hate being unable to help at times like those.

With a frown, he turned to his ever-present assistant.

"Ms. Yumi… is the Proto Machine's overhaul done?"

She nodded, already guessing what he was thinking.

"Yes, but you'd still need another twenty minutes to get to Yoka."

"Get it ready for-"

He was abruptly cut off as with a thunderous clamor, a command unit's head exploded, struck by a familiar type of projectile. With a start, the twins and Ms. Yumi fixated their eyes on the monitors once again.

Maria turned her attention in the direction the sound had come from and found the Seeker, hanging from a Skyranger by a tow cable with its rifle raised.

"When did you get here?" she asked, immensely relieved by the timely arrival.

"I was getting stir crazy, so I hitched a ride." Laika said with a shrug. "Now focus or fall back."

With that, he detached the cable, letting the Seeker land with a roll. Without wasting time, he located his next target and took aim once again. One of the alien robots firing on the Drill Machine was the next to fall with a compressed tungsten bullet to the head pulverizing the cockpit.

"There are still too many of them!" Maria realized, sending her doppelgangers forth to shield her brother.

With the Drill Machine's erratic movements, she couldn't project a barrier at a spot where it would actually be useful. To compound her concern, a second command unit came into view and joined the others in assaulting the green robot.

"Son of a bitch!" Dex growled, breaking the Guts Machine free from the four opponents trying to hold it down and steering it into a sprint to assist.

Further down the road…

Turning around a street corner, Ryu, Sakura and Li Li abruptly stopped, watching the confrontation. With a furrowed brow, the Master of the Fist stepped forward.

"Take Li Li to safety." he said, soft but firm. "I will handle this."

Ever since touching the strange stone slab, an odd sensation had been growing inside him, almost electrifying. He was still no closer to finding any answers about his and Sakura's strange condition, but he had no time to dwell on such matters while his old pupils and the children under their care were fighting for their lives.

"Damnit!" Dex bellowed, moving the Guts Machine in a mad sprint. The musclebound mayor, with his teeth gritted and beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, looked more like a professional wrestler than a public servant.

* * *

With inhuman speed, Ryu sought out and seized higher ground. The area did not give him much to choose from, being mostly comprised of single or two floor buildings in the local traditional style, but he eventually spotted a taller, more modern one with five floors. He rushed in its direction and abruptly propelled himself through the air, landing on a window cleaner's scaffold. From it, he leapt onto a restaurant's elevated balcony, just in time to witness the Drill Machine's struggle.

With a clear view to the scene, he clenched his teeth and fists.

"_That boy is in over his head."_

* * *

"You bastards…" Dex snarled as the damage to the Drill Machine continued to mount and its left arm started dangling rather precariously.

From their seats, the other two Guts Brothers tried to speed the machine along. Chisao cast a worried glance at his brother, whose neck tendons were starting to resemble strained steel cables.

* * *

Suddenly, in his mind's eye, Ryu saw himself back at the strange ethereal landscape he had seen upon touching the stone slab. Once again, he felt a colossal eye, opening and gazing upon him, followed by a second one. Once again the guttural voice, speaking in a language he did not recognize but still hauntingly familiar somehow.

He abruptly opened his eyes again and his body snapped into motion of its own accord.

In a blur, he vanished, then reappeared on the roof of the building. His eyes caught the next suitable perch and in another abrupt jump, his legs carried him in a massive leap forward, landing atop an old wooden weather monitoring tower. The battle continued, oblivious to the man on foot, moving in a way that no man was supposed to.

* * *

The second lead unit raised its bulky rifle and took aim. At that distance it would not miss, and with the Drill Machine's plating heavily damaged and its arms busy fending off two adversaries at the same time, there was no telling what it might do to the robot and the young pilot. Laika let out a snap shot, but hitting a moving target was considerably more difficult and the compressed tungsten round went through the upper torso, failing to hit anything important.

"Souka…" Laika growled, lining up another shot.

"Die…" Dex snarled, plowing through a hapless alien machine that had strayed into his trajectory and sending it tumbling like a rag doll. As his rage mounted, a long forgotten sensation started welling up deep inside him.

Another sudden jump from the top of the tower and Ryu was barreling towards the lead unit.

As they grabbed another of the alien robots by an arm and hurled it out of the way, the Guts Brothers sensed the familiar energy of his master, surging in a way they had never seen before.

"What the…" Chisao muttered.

"Master?" Dex muttered.

With the rage welling up inside him momentarily forgotten, Dex tried to get a better view while knocking another alien machine off balance with a Rocket Punch.

Ryu's fist clenched itself and as a strange blue flame ignited around his body, two words took form in his mind, unbidden.

"AURA SMASH!"

The punch connected with its target, unleashing a sound much like a wave crashing upon a rocky shore. With his trained senses, Ryu realized that the blow had somehow bypassed the towering machine's shields and torn through its innards, forcing out a plume of shattered metal and components on the opposite end.

The remaining aliens stopped in their tracks, stunned to see a human on foot swiftly take out their leader. Seeing an opportunity, Iris decided to seize it.

"Now!" she called out from inside the X-1's systems. "Use this one!"

A strange object, resembling an oversized metal ruler, materialized in the machine's hand. The boys hurled it into the middle of the enemy formation and it swiftly unfolded as soon as it touched the ground, belching out a churning whirlwind that pinned the alien robots in place.

"And now…" Iris added, selecting the next weapon.

"Gotcha!" Raito shouted. "BUSTER MISSILE!"

The super-dense warhead punched through the immobilized machines, overloading their already battered shields.

"Guess it's easier to land a hit when they can't move." Maito noted with a satisfied grin.

"What was that thing anyway?" Raito asked.

"Tornado Hold." Iris explained. "I thought you boys had read the manual."

"To be fair, the last time I did, all these crazy weapons weren't there." Raito pointed out.

"Then I guess I'd better give you both a crash course later." Iris said, rolling her eyes. "I warned Lan about giving you too many options too soon."

With the last of the invaders beaten, the twins quickly sent out the borrowed Skyranger to retrieve the group.

* * *

About twenty minutes later...

Without waiting for the craft to land, Lan grabbed one of the tow cables and slid down.

"Hey! Wait up!" Hub called out, following in short order.

The twins rushed in the direction of the Drill Machine, only to find the X-1 in their way.

"He's fine, relax." Raito informed, still in the cockpit. "Just really mad at himself right now."

The blue robot's hand pointed at an old stone bench not far from their position, where Shingo was sitting, clutching his helmet as if trying to squeeze it.

"You OK?" Lan asked, stepping closer. "You gave us one hell of a scare."

"Just tired…" the skinny boy said, straightening his glasses.

"_What the hell was I thinking?!"_

He wanted to scream, to curse, to throw his helmet at something. He was absolutely furious at himself for rushing ahead on his own, endangering his friends and nearly getting the Drill Machine totaled.

Then, to make matters worse, he heard a rustling on the grass and as he raised his head again he saw the last person he wanted to see.

"What were you thinking?!" Aya fumed. "Are you trying to get yourself killed out there?!"

In his raw state, his mouth once again fired off without thinking.

"Would that make you happy?"

"Are you stupid or something?!" she snapped, grabbing him by the collar and fighting the urge to slap him. "If you care nothing for your own safety, then you should at least think of your family."

She was right, and he knew it, and the admission stung. What came next, however, was somehow even worse.

"At least you recognized your foolishness and turned around." she added with a pained expression, trying to keep her own emotions under control. "But why did you ignore me?"

She wasn't just furious at him, he realized. To his confusion, and adding to his discomfort, she seemed genuinely concerned.

"I made this mess." he finally answered. "I wasn't going to let someone else pay for it."

From a distance, Maria watched on, before letting out a sigh. Confronting her brother at that point would have only made things worse, she realized.

"_Looks like he finally woke__ up from what bout of mental diarrhea. I'll give him a piece of my mind... later.__"_

"So…" she said, turning to Laika, who was also watching and rolling his eyes.

"The break was nice." the grizzled Major-General said. "Gave me time to fine tune some of the Seeker's systems and the rifle. But I was going stir crazy on the island."

"I'm not sure if you picked the best time to come or the worst…" Maria noted. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Boy…" Dex said as he approached Shingo with an inscrutable expression. "I'm disappointed. I did my share of stupid crap when I was your age, but I'm still disappointed."

Shingo winced, shame washing over him. He would have almost preferred if the towering man he had grown to respect had yelled at him instead.

"Look at me boy." Dex added, staring at him eye to eye. "What were you thinking?"

"I don't know."

"There's a time and place for hot blood. This ain't it." Dex said, slow and measured. "If this is how you wanna act, then forget about this whole thing and go home."

"Never." Shingo retorted, clenching his fists. "If I quit now, I'll never be able to look at myself in the mirror."

"Good." Dex said, flashing a sudden grin. "Once you've cooled your head, come see us. We're gonna put you through the paces until you know how to control yourself."

With that, the corpulent mayor walked away.

"You handled that well." Chisao said once they were out of earshot.

"He's already punishin' himself." Dex reasoned. "Yellin' at him in front of everyone would have just been twistin' the knife. 'Sides, this was my failure as a teacher too."

"_Can't believe I lost my cool like that. After all these years… is that thing coming back?"_

* * *

A few hours later...

"So in the end it turns out the aliens made that huge mess in Yoka just to ransack some old temple." Lan said, utterly baffled.

"We've been getting some similar reports from previous locations." Asaru said. "It even made news headlines a while ago, but we weren't sure if someone else wasn't just looting in the confusion. Today confirms it without a doubt. Almost all the sites they struck had some cultural or religious significance."

Lan had made the call to talk shop and improve coordination in future battles, but the conversation eventually took an unexpected turn.

"I must confess that this whole thing left me feeling a bit outclassed, at least initially." Asaru mused as he poured himself a glass of scotch at his desk.

"What do you mean?" Lan asked, sitting at his office in the laboratory.

"In other Earths my tactics involved infantry squadrons, aircraft, spaceships and from time to time submarines, support vehicles and androids. Likewise, the aliens I fought were usually employing infantry forces, spaceships and a combination of cyborgs, mechanized units and genetically engineered creatures."

"You mentioned you were a bit new to this giant robot thing too." Lan recalled. "At least I'm not the only one on my back foot."

Though his face remained as nondescript as ever, the persona of the mysterious Commander was giving way to something more relatable.

"You can say that again."

Lan was still getting to know the strange man, but he had the feeling that such an admission of weakness did not come easily. Once again, he had the impression that he was dealing with someone driven, someone who would try to carve a path without complaining or hesitating.

"We are still producing and upgrading more on a daily basis." Asaru elaborated. "For now, we are managing to keep up with losses, but we need to step up our game."

"Those MECs are a bit ugly, but they get the job done." Lan remarked. "For now, at least. But I can see why you'd want to upgrade, especially since a solid shot to the cockpit and it's game over."

"As I mentioned before, those are just basic models." Asaru clarified. "We were able to get the MEC-1 systems working with conventional power sources, but the more advanced designs require elerium or something equivalent. There's just no other way to fit a suitable reactor on a frame of that size."

"So you had the theory but not the means to put it in practice." Lan realized. "I guess you really lucked out when Ciel's robot bird got shot down."

"That's one way of putting it. I do think your Robot Masters and the Pantheon might have been able to tackle this threat without us, but the collateral damage and human losses would likely be much worse."

The Commander's gaze fixated upon Lan.

"What I am curious to know is how you already had the Robot Masters ready for their inaugural battle just in time for the invasion."

"We had some warning, yes." Lan conceded. "But it was vague and the source wasn't very cooperative. We were told that a threat beyond what we had ever faced was coming and that conventional weapons wouldn't be enough."

"And a giant robot fighting force was your first thought?" Asaru asked with some amusement.

"Considering who the warning came from, yes."

"You were never one for half-measures, even twenty years ago." Asaru noted, even more amused. "Bypassing the bulk of the enemy's countermeasures by jumping in with a barely tested prototype gateway… It's the kind of thing I would do. The kind of thing I have done before."

Lan simply shrugged.

"I love this world. I know its people can do great things together. But asking everyone to blindly believe we needed a giant robot army without more details or proof would have been crazy even for someone with my reputation."

"And so you took matters into your own hands." Asaru concluded, before taking a sip from his glass.

Lan nodded.

"Pretty much. So you can imagine our surprise to find out that you were already at work since long before we even started."

"As a matter of fact, while we have been operating for longer, our MEC units are very recent." Asaru corrected. "We have plenty of soldiers, but are still in the process of fleshing out our mechanized warfare division."

"So how long have you been building up those MEC units?"

"About a year."

"A year? I guess that means..."

"Yes. After Gilliam ended up here, he reminded me of the value of flexibility and convinced me to do a little experiment. Proof of concept, you might call it. After the first successful test runs, we started producing MECs in greater numbers and eventually he approached VTX to produce some local variants of the Gespenst."

"Picking up some new tricks in case the Ethereals or something else showed up…" Lan deduced.

"Yes, but the enemy I was expecting never showed up here. You know the rest."

"Gilliam's sense of timing was on point then." Lan realized. "For what it's worth, you were able to do a lot in just a year. It took us three to put together what we have now."

"Only a few dozen MECs were ready on time." Asaru explained. "Spread out across our bases. We had barely finished the Gespenst Shildritter's test run when the aliens struck."

"We barely finished getting our machines ready for their debut." Lan admitted. "It's a good thing we started the simulator training a few months in advance."

"_Ms. Yumi may well have saved the project for all I know."_ he thought with gratitude. _"__I really tried to bite more than I could chew.__"_

While the X-1 and the Pantheon units had many shared design elements, assembling the Variable Weapons System and the Radiant Circuits – which the Pantheon lacked – had been exceedingly time consuming, despite having additional help from X and the version of Ciel from the Earth Next Door.

The plan to have the other of the Robot Master machines built according to specialized roles had also introduced a slew of additional design and implementation problems. Ms. Yumi – or rather, the accidental parallel world jumper Lisa Kabuto – had shown up just in time to turn things around, when Lan had started wondering if he should switch to an entire X series. With her assistance, the X Numbers plan had been shelved, at least for the time being. Reproducing the Variable Weapons System in greater numbers would have been a technical nightmare and Lan still had his misgivings about giving the boys access to such a large arsenal.

"While approaching you was not part of the initial plan, it seems I underestimated you." Asaru remarked. "You managed to hide what you were doing quite well and I always thought this sort of thing to be outside your area of expertise."

"It was, which is why I got some help." Lan said with a smile. "Well, a lot of help. The research journals Dr. Wily left me. A lot of friends, both in the scientific community and other areas."

"And some other… outsiders." Asaru noted. "You've always a talent for bringing people together."

"I have to ask though." Lan said. "Did you already know X and the others before this?"

"No. Gilliam was already acquainted with them, but he only realized the parallel world connection with you later on. If those Reploid friends of yours are still around, I would love to discuss the finer points of synthetic sentience with them at a later date."

"X would probably talk your ear out." Lan remarked with some amusement. "He's had a lot of time to think about that stuff."

Lan scratched his chin and glanced at the illusive Commander.

"It's funny. I guess both of us were on the back foot, trying to do something a bit outside our comfort zone. But do you always try to keep a low profile?"

"I am not much of a public figure." Asaru said with a hint of disdain before taking another sip. "Exposure means scrutiny, interference, wasted time. There were other occasions when I had to take a more direct and prominent role though, much to my chagrin."

Lan nodded.

"I remember you mentioning that in our first meeting."

Then he scratched his chin, momentarily pondering something.

"In fact, I wonder why some officials from the Ameropan Union, the Eurasian Federation and the Pacific Coalition sounded so desperate for our help once we showed our hand to the world. It's almost like they didn't know your people were around."

"They probably did not." Asaru reasoned. "Despite the fact that we're having giant robot fights in the middle of populated areas right now, for the last sixty years we tried to keep the existence of X-COM a closely guarded secret."

"So I guess this stuff was above their pay grade and they just decided to reach out to us on their own." Lan deduced.

"I try not to get entangled in international politics." Asaru noted. "It is a quagmire of ever-shifting priorities and it would simply take up too much of my time and energy, so I leave those affairs to the funding council unless absolutely necessary."

"But you've done this whole thing before." Lan recalled. "Did you come forward with the suggestion yourself… or did you plant the idea in someone's head with those powers of yours?"

"There were some disparate programs at a prototype stage when I first arrived." Asaru explained. "With a little persuasion, I consolidated them under one roof. But without a substantial threat, it became increasingly difficult to justify our continued operation."

"Right, until Duo's asteroid scared the crap out of everyone." Lan recalled.

"Yes. As for psionically influencing human minds, I find it rather distasteful unless they are an avowed threat to humanity at large."

"It's still a bit creepy." Lan noted. "But the fact that you don't abuse that power says a lot. I just wonder if there are more people out there who can do that."

"Oh, there are. In fact, I know of a few people on this Earth who possess the potential. But even with training, most of them would be hard pressed to do anything to you."

"How come?"

"Those nanites coursing through your system afford you a considerable degree of protection from mental influence. I was only able to do what I did because it was a mild suggestion... and because my psionic strength is… considerably above average."

Lan quirked an eyebrow.

"Really now? That's another feature that wasn't on the manual. I'll be sure to let their designers know."

Lan then recalled something from their first encounter and, in his usual fashion, spoke his mind.

"By the way… I can't help noticing how… personal this Long War of yours sounds. Are you just protecting humanity like the rest of us? Or is there more?"

"I do want to see humanity thrive and attain its full potential. But I also want something more."

Asaru clenched his fist and his tone became considerably colder.

"The complete destruction of the Ethereals and all their works."

Lan couldn't help feeling a brief chill down his spine as he heard those words. He had dealt with people gripped by obsession before, and the results had often been ugly. He sincerely hoped he would not have to see firsthand exactly how far Asaru might go to achieve his goals.

"But… back to the original subject of your call." Asaru finally said, breaking the awkward silence. "You're having some… material issues?"

"Without getting into too much boring detail…" Lan said with a nod. "The Titanium X can be a pain to mass produce. Unless we get exactly the right proportions, temperature and pressure, we end up with an inferior version. It's still stronger than conventional materials, mind you, but not as strong as it could be."

"And how exactly are you producing it?"

"X and the others have been sending us batches of it as fast as they can crank them out. The problem is the perfect version needs some very specialized equipment so we had to choose between having enough stuff to finish the robots on time or actually assembling that equipment."

"Meaning that your robots are strong but not invulnerable." Asaru summed it up.

"We built the skeletons with the high grade stuff and used the rest on the outer plating." Lan said with a nod. "It's not going to cut it anymore."

"So you were planning to replace the outer plating later instead of tearing the machines open to replace the skeletal structure." Asaru deduced.

"Right. Now that we have enough of a stash we're getting the new equipment set up, right in our lab. This way we can overhaul the machines and cut back on travel times."

"So what exactly do you need from us?"

"I was wondering if you knew of any other materials we could beef them up with. You've been around more worlds than most of us after all."

"I can think of a few things. There are some alloys that I appropriated from the Ethereals over the years and learned to reproduce."

"I was wondering what exactly you've been using on those MECs."

"These alloys have various applications, ranging from personal protection to battleship hulls. We had to use a lot of conventional materials for the MEC-1 but the MEC-2's chassis will be fully comprised of alien alloys."

For the first time since they'd met, Asaru actually smiled.

"I also have another thing in mind to deal with those pesky alien ships. Our fighters are made of conventional materials and it would be too expensive and time consuming to replace the entire fuselage on all of them, so…"

He finished the contents of his glass and set it down on his desk.

"Very soon, their ships will be dealing with a storm of fire."

"Don't take it the wrong way, but sometimes you really give off some supervillain vibes." Lan noted with amusement. "All you're missing is a cat and a deeper voice."

* * *

In one of the lab's basement hangars…

"Wow…" Atreus muttered as he gazed upon the Drill Machine.

"Yeah…" Raito said with a nod.

"Is Shingo…"

"Still in one piece, yeah." Raito said. "He got pretty lucky."

"How did this happen?"

"He lost his cool and tried to rush ahead." Raito said with a sigh. "He wouldn't say why but I've got a pretty good idea."

Atreus gave him a quizzical look.

"Aya." Raito explained. "Those two can't stand each other for some reason. They usually try not to make a scene since Aya is Maria's best friend, but for some reason he just snapped today."

"I'm pretty sure that was my fault." Alexander said, breaking his silence.

"What do you mean?" Raito asked.

"I noticed something was wrong and tried to talk to him about it." Alexander clarified. "I guess he didn't take it very well."

"Those two…" Raito groaned. "But I'm thinking about something Dex said."

"What?" Alexander asked.

"Something about anger born from pain." Raito recalled. "He thinks she did something that really hurt Shingo, but she's got no idea what."

"Something else to figure out then." Atreus mused.

"Among other things." Alexander said with a nod. "But since you're here… there's something we need to talk about."

The prince exchanged a glance with Raito and the two nodded at each other.

"See…" Raito started. "We found out a few things about our machines. Apparently they've got a secret system that was based on the Leonarch."

"And since the Leonarch and the Apotheosis are practically brother units…" Alexander continued.

"What sort of system?" Atreus asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Tell me." Raito said. "Have you ever heard about Full Synchro?"

"Who hasn't?" Atreus answered. "I mean, after what the Professors got up to back in the day, everybody's heard of it."

"Apparently there's more to it." Raito said.

"Have you ever heard…" Alexander added. "About something called a Warrior of Light?"

"Saving orbs, crystals and the moon?" Atreus scoffed. "What does that have to do with this?"

"That's the million zenny question, isn't it?" Raito retorted. "Apparently they're people who can do a lot more than Full Synchro."

"And Full Synchro is just one of the forms that power takes." Alexander added. "Tell me. Have you noticed anything strange since you started piloting that machine?"

Atreus quirked an eyebrow.

"You mean other than the bouts of dizziness, the random voices and… seeing…"

"Seeing what?" Alexander asked.

"Seeing living things around me as flickering flames…" Atreus said with a somber expression. "And feeling a stab in my chest when they're snuffed out."

The other two exchanged glances.

"And you've been bearing with it all this time?" Alexander asked, looking aghast.

"Without telling anyone?" Raito added.

"Maybe I am an idiot." Atreus conceded. "I thought I could handle this. But my sister sees right through me and everyone else is getting worried."

"But why?" Alexander asked.

"Because I was entrusted with this task." Atreus explained. "And I will see it through to the end. I'll protect humanity at any cost."

He clenched his fists and his expression soured.

"I can learn to control that thing and fully unlock its power, then I can keep everyone safe and crush that scum."

"That's a very dangerous line of thought, my friend." Alexander cautioned.

From an elevated catwalk, back in regular clothing, X watched, unseen.

_"A very dangerous line of thought indeed… In fact, it reminds me of someone."_

* * *

With a heavy frown, Aselia paced through the empty, cramped metallic corridors of the command ship. Though the visions always took a toll, usually in the form of disorientation or fugue moments during which she would momentarily lose control of her motor functions, the throbbing in her head indicated that a particularly unpleasant episode was drawing near.

"_Again with the same foolishness…" _she fumed, pausing for a moment in front of the door to an observation deck.

The ugly, dull gray metal frame split apart and retracted into the wall at the press of a panel and she stepped inside, finding herself standing in front of a transparent wall, fashioned from a single panel of a polymer several orders of magnitude stronger than the sturdiest of Earths' bulletproof glass, facing an unobstructed view of the red planet.

As her gaze drifted across the surface of Mars and the door closed again, she felt her thoughts threatening to drift into a dozen different directions. Caught up in such a state, she failed to notice the brief flash of light and the tall figure that materialized behind her… at least until her senses kicked in.

She abruptly turned around and found herself face to face with what looked like a lean, black haired human, clad in some sort of ceremonial flowing white garments not entirely dissimilar from those of a priest. What immediately drew her attention, however, was not the garments, but the eyes, practically glowing with a strange azure radiance, seemingly staring right through her.

"Who…" she muttered, before the stranger's lips curled in a smirk.

"Come now, Oracle." he retorted, his pale face betraying his disappointment. "Where is your sight now?"

She suppressed her unease and tried to analyze the situation to the best of her ability. Not only had he appeared out of nowhere, but he seemed to understand her words and speak her language perfectly. Her role did not place her in contact with alien species, so she did not usually wear a translator – usually mounted on a necklace or earpiece. For that matter, he seemed not to be carrying any equivalent device.

The simple fact that he had managed to infiltrate the ship unnoticed, regardless of whatever he was, suggested that she was dealing with someone dangerous. Retaining her composure, she stood her ground.

"You are… difficult to read." she conceded. "But I imagine that if you meant me harm you not have bothered speaking."

"A reasonable assumption." the man said evenly. "But I must say… You are a very long way from home."

"Home?" she scoffed. "That word lost its meaning to us a very long time ago."

"And that is not all you have lost." the stranger said with certainty. "I can tell that you are… diminished."

"Perhaps." she said guardedly. "But even in this state I can still tell that you are not what you seem. What do you want from me?"

"I want to ask you a question." the stranger said. "What do you want with the Warriors of Light?"

"Assuming they still exist at all?" she asked, playing coy.

"Do not be disingenuous." the stranger retorted, still eerily calm and composed. "I have been watching you ever since your lackeys blundered into this world. Despite your haphazard approach, it is plain that you came here in search of something."

She took a deep breath and uttered a single word.

"Salvation."

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Now who is being disingenuous?" she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Surely you noticed the run down ships on your way here. Worn. Battered. A shadow of what we possessed in our prime."

"That is not all you are lacking." the man remarked. "A large portion of your toys are remote controlled, after all… or crewed by little more than criminals pressed into service."

She stayed silent.

"And while you speak of salvation, your thugs are making a mess of the cradle of humanity." he pointed out. "What sort of salvation do you expect to find that way, short of the peace of the grave?"

"That was not our decision." Aselia retorted, for a moment looking genuinely ashamed.

"You would watch even more of your people disgrace themselves and die in the mud simply because you do not wish to disobey orders?" the man pointedly asked. "I thought your kind were supposed to lead."

"So did I." Aselia hissed, clenching her fists. "But my hands are tied, at least for the time being… and the more I try to peer beyond the veil, the more portents of ruin I see."

"Let me tell you what I see then." the stranger said. "The blind leading the blind… merrily trudging into the abyss. You and yours are merely pawns in all of this and you will not find any sort of salvation if you persist on this course of action."

Aselia took this comment in stride, unflinching despite the sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Perhaps you are correct and we are but the last gasps of a once proud empire." she mused. "But who are you and what is your stake in this?"

The stranger crossed his arms and stared at her with a bitter scowl.

"From a moral standpoint, I find your people's actions here abhorrent. From a logical and practical standpoint, it pains me to see an intelligent species ruin itself with such foolish actions. From a personal standpoint, you are threatening humanity, and this I cannot abide."

"And who are you, exactly?" she insisted.

"It is far too soon for that." the stranger said, shaking his head. "Merely uttering my name out loud could cause complications for you."

"What do you mean?" she asked, clenching her teeth.

"All in due time." the stranger said, furtively glancing around and then turning his gaze back to her. "For now, I suggest that you try to find a different resolution for this… discreetly of course. By now you must have realized that what you seek cannot be taken by force. It must be earned."

"I suspected as much." Aselia admitted. "Not recognizing that was one of the failings of our forefathers. They may well have doomed us all for it."

"Not just yet." the stranger countered, raising his index finger. "But I do suggest that you stop antagonizing those children and their keepers. In fact, you would do well to reconsider your approach entirely."

"You presume too much." Aselia scoffed. "As a member of the Oracular Order I am here to provide guidance, but I have little to no actual authority in the hierarchy."

"It seems to me that this High Priestess of yours has an agenda of her own… which you are not privy to. Otherwise how do you explain the free hands those hounds have enjoyed so far under that self-important buffoon?"

"If all it took was virtue and intent, we would not find ourselves under the thumb of fools." Aselia lamented. "All I can do right now is try to keep my people alive. But I take no joy or pride in what we are doing. We did not travel all this way and endure what we did only to fight children."

"You do not understand." the stranger said with a conviction that made her feel uneasy. "If you keep pushing them, something terrible will happen. Of this, I am certain."

"Terrible for who? Us, them, or both?"

"Yes." the stranger curtly answered before turning away.

"I will leave you to ponder that." he added, before she could muster a retort. "But for now, I suggest that you keep this conversation to yourself."

"And why is that?"

"Because you are surrounded by vipers." the stranger said, glancing over his shoulder, his tone abruptly turning cold as the glow in his eyes intensified. "And because while I may have stayed my hand so far, if this wanton behavior continues those machines and the Master of the Fist will be the least of your concerns."

Aselia recoiled, tensing up at his words, but he had one final remark.

"As for the crimes being carried out in your Emperor's name, make no mistake." the stranger added. "There will be a reckoning."

With that, he vanished in a flash of white.

* * *

Raziel reappeared in his domain and his garments returned to the usual shape of a golden breastplate covered in a white toga. He strode to the edge of the floating landmass and stared into the see of clouds below.

"And now we wait…" he muttered to himself. "Until the hand pulling the puppeteer's strings reveals itself."

With a gesture, he summoned his bulky leather-bound tome and flipped through the pages until he reached one in particular where some sort of count was being updated in real time, as if an invisible hand were constantly erasing the numbers and tracing them again with a quill and crimson ink.

"Already in the thousands." he muttered, downcast. "But if my suspicions are correct, showing my hand too soon will make that a thousand times worse..."

With a weary sigh, he dismissed the book and then cast a glance at a statue standing atop a nearby pedestal, fashioned out of some sort of silvery stone. Carved in a style closely reminiscent of the Mediterranean civilizations, it depicted a tall, imposing warrior clad in a simple toga and sandals, holding a sword aloft as it stared into the distance like a silent sentinel.

"Would that we were as wise and all-seeing as some mortals believe us to be…" he mused, taking in the statue's features. "But what we have must suffice."

He reached into the folds of his toga and once again produced the strange medallion in the shape of a dragon. The large teardrop-shaped gem at its center shone, more brightly than the previous time.

"He begins to stir..." he muttered, staring at the gem.

* * *

Elsewhere…

After what felt like an eternity drifting through an endless indistinct nightmare, his mind returned to the waking world. His body felt heavy, groggy, but mostly intact. Feeling something on his face, he hesitantly reached out with an unsteady hand to find some sort of cloth covering a portion of his head.

"_Where…"_

Slowly, Belphes opened his eyes. His sight took a moment to regain focus and once it did, he found himself in a soft bed with a wooden frame, covered by a simple cotton sheet.

He tried to move his left arm, which was in a strange position, only to feel a sharp pain. Looking down, he saw that it was covered in bandages, which had been soaked into some sort of solid but brittle white substance and fastened to his chest. The rest of his limbs felt heavy and sore and his stomach grumbled in protest after long hours without nourishment. He was still wearing his black undersuit, but by the sore spots on his body he could tell that it had been removed at some point to tend to his wounds.

Carefully sitting up, wincing as he strained bruised portions of his body, he took in his strange surroundings. A wooden structure of some sort, definitely on solid ground, decorated with simple furniture and an assortment of trinkets whose purpose completely eluded him.

In a sudden panic, he hastily glanced around looking for his equipment. The translator was gone, along with his sidearm. His dark gray piloting suit was laid out on a chair, bloodstained and torn in several places.

Recalling the events that had led to his present situation and realizing the extent of his injuries, the questions multiplied in his mind.

"_How did I survive that?"_

As one of his feet touched up the wooden floor, a brief jolt of pain shot up his leg. Biting back a curse, he ponderously set about appraising his surroundings.


	19. Shadows of Memory

Chapter 19 – Shadows of Memory

Another time, another place…

He stood in a surreal landscape, where multicolored walkways stretched and snaked, suspended without a tether over a seemingly endless expanse crisscrossed by glowing lines, flashing in circuitous patterns. After the activation of Colonel and Iris, later known as the Cyberworld Gods, even the grim depths of the Undernet had been cleansed of viral influences and restored to pristine condition.

With steady, measured footsteps, someone else arrived at the huge square platform.

"It's been a year since last time." the figure clad in blue said in a soft male voice as it approached. "Just like we agreed."

"Finally!" his interlocutor, clad in a tattered brown cloak over a black bodysuit growled.

"But understand this." the figure in blue said. "This will be the last time. I gave you my word, but I'm tired of the same old song and dance."

"One last time is all I need." the cloaked figure growled. "Let us settle this."

The cloaked figure rushed forward with his fist raised, but his opponent was too swift, sidestepping the blow and reappearing on his right side. The familiar form of an M-Cannon Battle Chip swiftly materialized around his right hand. In one swift motion, he took aim and fired.

The cloaked figure did not even bother dodging, as a golden barrier resembling a flaming sphere materialized around his body, completely absorbing the blast.

"Humph. Was that supposed to be an attack?"

The warrior in blue ignored the taunt and shifted the direction of his movement, discarding the M-Cannon in favor of a Variable Sword.

Anticipating the next attack, the cloaked figure slammed his fist on the ground, cracking several of the floor panels and forcing his opponent to adjust once again. This time, the blow struck home, bypassing the barrier and slashing across the cloaked figure's left arm.

"What are you doing?" the cloaked figure grumbled, stopping in his tracks and casting a withering glare at his opponent.

"Giving you what you wanted?"

"Do not insult me." the cloaked figure snarled, clenching his fists. "You are not taking this seriously."

"You said you wanted to make this a clean fight." his opponent pointed out. "If you're not using that power, then why should I-"

"You little…" the cloaked figure snarled. "This was not part of the deal! Face me with your full might or begone from my sight!"

"You asked for it..." his opponent said with a sigh.

The warrior in blue jumped away and placed his open hand on the floor. The dull gray tiles began to glow, as if covered with polished diamonds and the radiance quickly spread to the surrounding area, transforming more and more of the panels in its wake.

"Better." the cloaked figure scoffed before rushing forward and unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks.

To his surprise, his opponent managed to dodge or block most of them before disappearing from view and reappearing some distance away. As he prepared to give chase, the warrior in blue raised his arm and uttered two words.

"Holy Dream."

The radiance began to seep out of the tiles and into his outstretched hand. An orb of pure white took form and shot forward towards the cloaked figure, followed by a second, a third, then countless others.

The flaming energy barrier was able to absorb the first three, which burst into searing light on impact, but it soon fizzled and faded under the relentless onslaught. The cloaked figure dodged to the best of his ability, but several of the orbs still connected. The flashes of white continued for a few more moments until the barrage finally ended.

"Is that all?" the cloaked figure taunted once the eruptions were finally over.

"Not quite." his opponent said, sounding a little frustrated. "I didn't want to use this, but you've always been so stubborn..."

The cloaked figure saw the familiar flash of a Program Advance and started moving in an attempt to preempt the next attack. To his displeasure, it took the form of a menacing, buzzing black cloud.

"You…" he growled in annoyance. "The damned bees again?!"

"Do you yield?" his opponent calmly asked.

"Not on your life!"

The black cloud engulfed the cloaked figure, and under the onslaught of a thousand stings he soon collapsed.

"_One of these days I will find the fool who created that Battle Chip series and…"_

Overwhelmed, he fell on his back. As he lay there fuming, he saw his opponent edging closer.

"You're not exactly focused on this either." the warrior in blue said, standing over his opponent. "Your heart isn't set on it anymore."

"Then put an end to this travesty already." the cloaked figure hissed. "End this or I swear I…"

The brown eyes looked at him without a hint of anger or resentment. Instead, something worse shone in them. Pity.

"How long have we been doing this song and dance?" the warrior in blue asked with a mournful sigh. "Isn't it about time you moved on with your life?"

"What else is there?" the cloaked figure hissed, punching the floor in impotent fury.

"So much more. But you'll have to find it yourself."

The blue warrior's right hand started glowing the a soft white radiance and the cloaked figure recoiled, trying to distance himself, but to no avail. He was simply too tired of it all.

"For you, perhaps." he panted, in a rare display of weakness. "For me, hatred may well be the only thing that has kept me alive all these years."

It simply felt wrong. He knew himself to be stronger. He remembered wielding power that had once made the world shudder. But he found himself spent, unable to summon the thunderous wrath that had made him a force to be reckoned with.

"I can't take away your anger or erase what they did to you." the warrior in blue said with a sigh, before pulling the prone figure's cloak out of the way and exposing a strange old wound on his chest with a sickly green glow.

"But at least... there's one thing I can do."

With that, he placed his glowing hand on his opponent's chest.

The sensation was utterly alien to the fallen combatant. A warmth he had never felt in his life. He tried to resist, to shout, to curse, but he was simply too tired and the radiance was somehow making him feel lightheaded.

"What you do after this is up to you." the warrior in blue said as his opponent began slipping out of consciousness. "I really do hope you'll find your way."

With that, he turned and walked away, then disappeared in a beam of light, shooting upwards.

* * *

In his spartan quarters, in a fortified office building somewhere in the western hemisphere, Hades gasped and abruptly opened his crimson eyes. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and, quickly regaining his bearings, decided to stay in bed a little longer. With a sigh, he pulled the black sheets over his head and closed his eyes again.

Just as it looked like he might fall asleep again though, his cellphone rang. With a grumble of annoyance, he picked it up from the nightstand and answered the call.

"Yes?"

"You sound a bit under the weather." the Director's voice noted.

"I'm fine." he grumbled. "What do you need?"

"Devon is on the move again. I have received reports that he's been snooping around Neo Atlantis."

"What could he possibly want from there?"

"Good question." the Director said. "We've always kept our presence there to a minimum."

"Should I head out there and investigate?"

"Even if his business there is unrelated to us, that man is still a threat to be monitored."

"Understood."

"Oh… and one more thing."

"What?"

"Take our… volunteer with you. It's time to see if he lives up to his bluster."

"I would rather not." Hades grumbled. "But at least he won't be running around here unsupervised."

He paused for a moment and sighed.

"Where is he anyway?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in another section of the building...

Still clad completely in his white outfit, Scutum walked through the carpeted hallways, which almost resembled those of a high class hotel, until he arrived at a reinforced metal door with a code lock and card scanner. The guard, a muscular man of nondescript appearance and indeterminate age clad in an expensive black suit, glanced at him through his sunglasses.

"I would speak to our guests." Scutum said.

"I haven't heard anything about it from the Director or the Head of Security." the man flatly contested.

"They have more urgent matters to deal with. Besides, I was the one tasked with overseeing their relocation. Since it keeps getting delayed, I need to ensure their well being."

"And what's with those?" the guard asked, glancing at the stack of newspapers rolled up under the hooded figure's left arm.

"The Director said they were to be contained, not kept completely blind." the hooded figure reasoned. "The longer they go on without news from the outside world, the more agitated and uncooperative they'll become."

"Fine." the guard conceded, before standing up and pulling a card from his breast pocket, which he then inserted in the reader. "Go on."

The reader flashed a green light and the door unlocked with a beep. Scutum nodded, then stepped through, and the guard locked the door again behind him. Ahead stood another metal door, which the guard unlocked remotely, and the hooded figure knocked.

"Is this some kind of joke?" a woman's voice answered from inside, before settling down. "Fine, come in."

Ahead was what could have passed for a room in a four or five star hotel, decorated in a simple but elegant style. The furniture was carved out of solid oak – two beds, a large desk, a stand containing a square refrigerator. A wardrobe was built into the wall next to the far bed. The room's window, though large, was covered in thick metallic shutters with no evident way of opening them.

"It is no joke.." the hooded figure retorted in an even tone. "You are still guests here. If any of the others were disrespectful then please accept my apologies and rest assured there will be consequences."

The figure sitting at the desk turned to face him. An elegant woman, somewhere between her late thirties and early forties, with smooth shoulder length dark golden hair. Her soft face seemed to have thinned out slightly over the years and the obvious stress seemed to be taking its toll on her. Still, she stared at the baffling figure without flinching, her green eyes glimmering with determination behind the round lenses of her glasses.

"If you're serious about it…" she remarked, rather unimpressed. "Then you could start by speaking face to face like an adult instead of wearing that ridiculous hood."

"My apologies, but that I cannot do." Scutum retorted before glancing to the side where the room's other occupant was glaring daggers at him.

A slightly older man stood there, clearly fit for his age. His black hair, sporting some graying stripes, was cut short, which drew the eye towards the small scar over his left eyebrow. His gray eyes, fixated on the newcomer, spoke volumes of his feelings regarding the entire situation. His face, tempered by the elements, sported a decent share of wrinkles, but still remained firm, decorated by a small black mustache.

"Really, Major, your hostility is misplaced." Scutum remarked. "Believe it or not, you are being kept here for your own protection."

"So you say." the man answered in an inscrutable tone.

"But after what we've already seen, I find it a bit difficult to trust any of you." the woman added. "I never expected this from her."

"If you are talking about the Director, then you are mistaken." Scutum reiterated. "Despite the resemblance, she is not the person you think she is."

"Then who is she?" the woman retorted. "And for that matter, who are you?"

"I think you already have some idea about the former, though you'll know the truth eventually." Scutum said. "As for who I am, that is of no consequence, but if you need a name, you may refer to me as Scutum Malakh."

The other man said nothing, instead studying the newcomer intently.

"I have brought you some news from the outside world." Scutum added, presenting the stack of newspapers. "It's not much, but it should give you a general idea of the situation."

With that, he slowly stepped over to the edge of the desk and deposited the items before backing away again, without turning his back.

"As for your daughters, I can assure you they are quite safe." he added. "Between the Major's associates, the Robot Masters and the First Family of Neo Atlantis, no one will lay a finger on them."

"Robot… Masters?" the man asked.

"I believe you are acquainted with the Hikari brothers?" Scutum asked. "Or at least your wife is. They have raised a small but exceedingly promising force to combat the alien invasion."

"And what do Ciel and the others have to do with this?" the woman asked.

"If you mean your current situation, they are completely unaware of it." Scutum clarified. "Though I understand both her and Colonel Devon are searching for any sign of you. If you mean the general picture, then… I suggest you read the articles."

The woman hesitantly glanced at the newspapers, as if afraid of what she might find.

"Oh, one more thing." Scutum added.

He reached into his coat and produced a small stack of pictures, then laid them out on the desk. The woman's eyes went wide as she stared at them. Sarah and Amelia bantering at a cafe. The Robot Masters posing for a group shot. Atreus and Amelia in their piloting suits.

"How did you…" she hissed, instinctively reaching for the pictures.

"The Prometheus Group has eyes in all continents." the hooded figure said, crossing his arms.

"Is this supposed to be a threat?" the Major hissed.

"On the contrary." the hooded figure clarified. "A reassurance that they are well. A token of our good intentions."

"You'll have to excuse us if we don't just take your word for it." the Major retorted. "Richard had quite the sordid tales to tell about your little group."

"I won't deny it." Scutum retorted. "The Director has seized control of a tainted legacy. But she is not responsible for the acts of those who came before, only her own."

"Well then…" he added. "I will be in touch. Think about what I have said. All I ask of you is a little patience."

With that, he turned and left, closing the door behind him, and then reached for the intercom button next to the outer door.

"I'm done here."

The guard locked the inner door and unlocked the outer one remotely and Scutum stepped outside. He barely had time to take a few steps before a rather annoyed Hades caught up with him.

"Where the hell have you been?" the head of security grumbled.

"Trying to keep our guests placated." Scutum said with a shrug. "Or did you think they were going to settle down locked in there without any news from the outside world?"

Hades hissed in annoyance and then rubbed his temples.

"I still don't know what game you're playing, but since the Director is indebted to you and has entrusted you with this task, I will leave it to your discretion."

Then he glared daggers at Scutum, silently cursing the hood that seemed to block organic and electronic eyes alike.

"But if you mess this up, or if you betray her trust…"

"Save it, Hades. I am not the enemy here."

"I'll be the judge of that. In the meantime, the Director has a new task for me… and she requested your presence as well."

"So we're postponing the relocation again?" Scutum asked, sounding a bit disappointed.

"The situation is too volatile." Hades said. "The Director wants to be sure there aren't any surprises when it's time to leave."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Sanctum of the Founders…

"You really are the worst, you know." Amelia grumbled as her brother disembarked at one of the underground hangars.

"What did I do?" Atreus asked, caught by surprise.

"Well, if you must ask, I found someone we know in the city." Amelia said, before wagging a finger at him. "And then a certain someone decided to run off and leave her hanging."

"Uh… what are you talking about?"

"You'll find out soon enough. For now, just go upstairs and stay put."

The X-1 landed in the hangar a mere moment later and the Rush Jet's wings folded into the body of the rocket. As the nearly identical cousins disembarked, Amelia's frown quickly melted into a smile.

"Hi boys!" she said, waving at them as they disembarked. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Call it an intervention." Raito said with a grin.

"Yeah." Maito added. "Sir Knight over here has a bad case of overthinking and we were a bit worried about him."

And just like that, the frown returned.

"Well…" Amelia said. "I'm glad you got him to open up… but I wish he'd do the same with the rest of the family."

"Is it really OK thought?" Atreus asked. "I mean, you never know when the aliens are going to make a mess again."

"We'll deal with it when it comes." Raito retorted. "You can't spend all your time thinking about that."

"Maybe you'll have better luck getting that through his thick head." Amelia remarked. "Now boys, go upstairs and keep him in one place. I'll be back in a little bit."

"You're acting a bit weird." Atreus said, narrowing his eyes at her. "What are you up to?"

"It's a surprise." she answered before turning around and leaving.

* * *

A few minutes later in the upstairs living room…

"All I'm saying is the X-1 is agile, but maybe it could use a little more protection." Atreus said, sitting on the couch with the Hikari boys. "That thing lopped its arm off like a hot knife through butter."

"Well yeah, but if you bulk up too much, you lose mobility." Maito pointed out.

"True…" Atreus conceded. "But I'd rather not see your machine skewered like that again. If that alien had aimed a little higher…"

"It's not like we go into these things looking forward to getting hurt." Raito said. "But I get where you're coming from."

"Yes, I worry about you." Atreus admitted. "I worry about everyone. You, your team, your family and mine, the world. I don't want to see people hurt."

"And that's why you get mad." Raito realized. "Alex told us you stopped sparring with him because you were afraid of hurting him, but you don't hold back out there."

"I know some violence will be required to get through this." Atreus said. "I'll probably have to kill someone before this is over, if I haven't already. But it's not like I can just turn my back and ignore what's happening."

"You're gonna get white hair early if you keep thinking like that." Raito remarked, shaking his head.

"But…"

"It's not like we're not taking this seriously, you know." Raito argued. "We just can't let it drive us crazy."

"Just… promise you'll be careful, all right?" Atreus pleaded.

"Of course." Maito said. "And if this cousin of mine starts going nuts, I'll drag him back to Aunt Mayl for a proper scolding."

The conversation was cut short as two sets of footsteps echoed through the hallway and Amelia returned with Sarah in tow.

"Oh…" Atreus muttered, caught by surprise, before hastily standing up. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"N-Not that there's anything wrong with it." he blurted out, realizing that had come out the wrong way. "On the contrary."

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Sarah said, showing a genuine smile and not the forced ones she had kept up before.

"Oh." Raito said. "I remember you."

"So what brings you here?" Atreus asked.

"Colonel Devon is here on business and brought her along so she could take a break." Amelia explained.

"Oh? Will you be staying long?" Atreus asked, still getting over his surprise.

"A few days." Sarah said, while she and Amelia sat down on the couch next to the others. "Maybe a little more if things stay quiet."

"Well, we probably shouldn't say that out loud." Maito said with a grin. "Might jinx it."

For a couple of hours, the five just sat there making small talk about the island, their hobbies, the delicious confectioneries at the bakery by the shore. Eventually, the conversation drifted towards bits of the Hikari family's history.

"It's kind of weird." Amelia mused. "Twenty years ago, practically everyone had a PET and a Navi. Nowadays with so many Navis living with humans in physical bodies, that's a rarity."

"I guess some people would like to have their best friend in their pocket." Raito noted. "Me, I'd rather keep them where I can see them."

"I tried it for a while." Maito added. "It just… felt weird."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.

"See, one of the first tricks my Dad learned when he got his Copy Bot body was how to interface with computer systems and project himself into them." Maito explained. "Uncle Lan actually used Full Synchro to piggyback on him a couple of times so they could fight together even in the depths."

"Wait…" Sarah realized. "You…"

"Yeah." Maito said with a grin. "I thought everybody knew it by now."

"It must have slipped my mind." Sarah said. "I really can't tell you apart from a human."

"That's the idea." Maito said with a shrug. "The folks downstairs really pushed Copy Bot technology beyond what people thought possible at the time."

"I've heard about that too." Sarah said. "The first models had a thick layer of nanites that would reshape themselves to fit the Navi's appearance and clothing."

"Right." Amelia said with a nod. "And somehow our parents figured out how to develop a different kind of nanites and program them to remodel the internal makeup into a close imitation of some human systems… and give Navis access to all five senses in their new bodies."

"I must confess I still don't completely understand the mechanics." Atreus said. "It almost seems like magic."

"To my parents, it really was." Maito reminisced. "They told me about the old days, when they were still living in PETs. How they wanted to see more of the world and be a part of it. They got their wish and then some."

"I can't imagine what that would feel like." Amelia pondered. "To live as a program with no physical form. To live forever while your best friend grows old on the other side of a screen."

"Well, thankfully I never went through a Pinocchio stage." Maito said. "That whole existential stuff about being a human or a machine never really bothered me. I am who I am and that's all I need."

"_I'm gonna miss this doofus… I'm gonna miss them all. But it's far too soon to be thinking about those things."_

"The way I see it, I've got the best of both worlds." he added. "I'm super strong and never get tired. I don't need to sleep, but I can do it to clear my head. I can stuff myself with sweets or junk food without getting fat or clogging my arteries, and I've got perfect teeth and skin."

"And you're modest too." Raito sarcastically added. "We know, you're perfect."

"What, afraid Maria is gonna ditch you for me?" Maito teased.

"Oh please." Raito scoffed. "You may be all that, but I'm still more handsome than you."

"We're practically identical." Maito retorted.

"At least I'm not afraid of spiders." Raito shot back with a smug grin.

"It fell into my mouth!" Maito protested.

As the two launched into a renewed bout of banter, Sarah eventually gathered the courage to touch another topic.

"So… I hope you don't mind, but we stopped by your room while we were looking for you." she said. "You've got quite a collection."

As if on cue, the two nearly identical cousins stopped their banter and stared at Atreus.

"What?" he asked.

"So she went into your room…" Raito said.

"And she found your collection…" Maito added.

"Get your minds out of the gutter." Atreus grumbled. "It's not that kind of collection. You've seen it before."

He then turned his attention back to Sarah.

"So… what about it?"

"You have no idea how nice it is to know someone with the same interests." she said, once again getting a little starry-eyed. "Those classics, that artwork…"

"Oh…" he realized. "You too."

"Yes, and I'd love to discuss this further. Some of those look pretty old. I think I even spied some first editions. Where did you get all of that?"

"Here and there." Atreus said. "I guess that's one of the advantages of the island's location. People from all over the world stop by and some end up staying. There's a whole district full of antiquarians and museums."

"I see. You'll have to show me where it is later."

"I will. But I've never seen anyone so excited about my books."

At this point, her enthusiasm was practically palpable.

"To be frank, I've been meaning to read some of them for a long time. I could only find digital copies, but the translations were awful. They just didn't understand the spirit of the original versions."

"Well then, since you're here…" Amelia chimed in. "Why not get him to show you the rest of the collection? Maybe the training room?"

"Training room?" Sarah asked.

"I… picked up a taste for the sword at a young age." Atreus explained, a little embarrassed. "After my father walked in on Alex and I fencing with broomsticks, he set up a training room for me. Said I might as well learn it properly so I didn't hurt myself or break anything."

"Alex…" Sarah muttered. "You mean Prince Alexander?"

"The one and only." Amelia said, before tugging at her brother's sleeve. "Come on, be a good host. Show them what you can do."

"It's really not something I do for an audience…" Atreus meekly protested. However, he was quickly silenced by his sister's pleading look. He still didn't know how, but when she made that face he always found it difficult to say no.

Hesitantly, he stood up and led the others into the elevator and up a couple of floors. There, after exiting the elevator and opening a reinforced metal door, they saw an ample square room, with the walls and floor covered in thick gray padding. The ceiling was lined with LED lamps but there was no need for them at that hour as the sunlight coming through the windows on the left side of the room was more than enough. Metallic racks and shelves were lining the right hand wall, containing a few wooden swords and some sturdy plastic batons lined with a thick layer of foam, as well as protective gear. In the middle of the room was a pair of mannequins clad in the same protective gear. On the back of the room was another door.

"So this is where you're holed up when you're not running off." Raito commented.

"Yeah…" Maito added. "It fits."

Maito walked towards one of the racks and pulled out one of the padded batons, testing its weight.

"And since we're here…"

He then grinned and spun back, pointing the baton at Atreus.

"I think we oughta do something about your little problem, Sir Knight."

"Problem?" Sarah asked.

"Our friend here doesn't spar with anyone anymore." Maito clarified. "He's scared of hurting people."

"That's true, but…" Atreus tried to protest.

"But you're not gonna get any better at it just hitting dummies." Maito cut him off. "In fact, you've already dropped the big sword out there more than a few times, haven't you?"

"I guess you heard about that…" Atreus muttered, feeling a little embarrassed.

"And that thing can cut buildings in two." Maito continued. "Buildings, robots and battleships. I still don't know how that machine of yours works, but I think it's time we helped you with this problem before you slip and cut something you didn't mean to."

"You do have a point, but…"

"You don't need to be scared." Maito said, already guessing what he was thinking. "I don't bruise, and I know how to switch off my pain receivers. You're also not gonna break any bones no matter how rough we get."

"Besides..." he added with a smile. "I've always wanted to learn how to use one of these, even if it's not the real thing. So how about it? You teach me, and I help you get better… and over that fear of yours."

"I appreciate what you're trying to do…" Atreus slowly said, heading towards the racks. "I appreciate it… and I do realize that there's a limit to how much I can grow on my own."

He picked up one of the batons and sighed, then turned back towards Maito.

"But I need you to understand something. I didn't start learning this with the intent of hurting people. I did it to work on my discipline… and vent some anxiety. You need to understand how dangerous even a practice weapon can be."

"I know, I know." Maito said. "I'm not about to go clubbing people for laughs."

He then twirled the baton around a bit before holding it with both hands.

"Now then… How about you show me the basics before we get started?"

* * *

Around that time, in another part of the island...

Clad in a simple but elegant white dress with matching flat shoes and with a wool scarf draped over her shoulders, Lune walked through one of the cobblestone sidewalks at a hurried pace. Age had not slowed her down one bit, and she insisted on staying fit.

From a distance, blending in with the flux of tourists and locals going to and from the shops and other businesses, Phantom followed, still wearing his usual black business suit. While he did not doubt her strength, as the last of the original Founders and a member of the Imperative and the Affirmative's family it was simply unthinkable to him to let her wander around without at least one escort.

She eventually stopped in front of a small tea house that Phantom was already familiar with, a place she had visited countless times. The place was decorated in a Far Eastern style, from the sliding doors in the front made of space age polymers but shaped so as to resemble wood and paper to the mats and tables inside and the kitchenware. He watched as she sat down in front of a table where a man in a suit was waiting for her.

"You're just in time." Colonel Devon said with a polite nod before reaching for the porcelain teapot. "The tea is at the perfect temperature."

Phantom discreetly sat at an empty table in a corner of the square room and perused the menu on the table, using his superhuman senses to keep watch.

"You have good taste." Lune said. "Did you already know this place?"

"Believe it or not, I stumbled upon it by accident." the Colonel said, pouring the tea into two cups. "But you're probably wondering why I asked to speak with you."

Lune took the cup offered to her and paused for a moment, enjoying the scent.

"It did cross my mind, yes."

"Well, I'm in the middle of an investigation right now. Unfortunately, I'm still missing some pieces of this puzzle and I was hoping you could enlighten me."

The Colonel took a small sip and let the taste linger in his mouth for a moment before speaking again.

"Tell me… Have you heard of the Prometheus Group?"

"The twins mentioned it." Lune recalled. "And if memory serves, your current employer isn't too fond of them."

"They are a sinister bunch, not to be trifled with." the Colonel said, keeping a neutral expression. "Crafty, too. In my days in Her Majesty's service I dismantled quite a few of their plots.

"Such as?"

"Stock market manipulation, blackmail, industrial and military espionage." the Colonel elaborated. "I also suspect that they were connected to some assassinations a few decades ago but I could never find conclusive evidence."

"So what exactly do they want?"

"Once, I wondered if they had some sort of large scale plot like Nebula or the WWW and Gospel before them. Now… I have no idea. They seem to have changed their modus operandi about a decade ago and focused on the covert side of things. Those Super AIs Colonel and Iris also made it extremely difficult for them to continue their cybercrime activities."

"I see. But what does this have to do with your current investigation?"

"I know Hades Sardonicus approached the Professors. An offer to exchange information, likely as the means to gain a foothold or at least earn a measure of trust. I still don't know what they were doing with that artifact in Guangzhou though."

"You sound like you know the man."

The Colonel furrowed his brow.

"I've had a few… dealings with him. He's a tenacious bastard and quite resourceful. He also has one hell of a poker face, but I digress."

The Colonel took another sip.

"What concerns me the most right now though is that they have their eyes on the Far East. Specifically SciLab and the Hikari Laboratory."

"What do you mean?"

The Colonel lowered his voice, though Phantom could still hear everything.

"I mean that while they've been discreet about it… they were not perfect. While conducting a security assessment after that botched alien attack, I uncovered evidence suggesting that they've been monitoring both locations."

Lune's eyes narrowed.

"To what end?"

"I'm still trying to find out. Surprisingly enough, they haven't interfered with the Hikari Laboratory's operations in any way."

"Maybe because Iris is watching it like a hound." Lune noted. "And she doesn't take kindly to people trying to harm that family."

"I wasn't aware of that." the Colonel admitted. "But I should have expected it, given her prior relationship with the twins. What puzzles me though is why they'd be interested in SciLab, given that it's currently under lockdown. I understand that Dr. Regal is running with a skeleton crew, working on some project."

"I wonder though." he added. "Is it SciLab itself that they're interested in? Or Dr. Regal? Given his past activities…"

Lune narrowed her eyes.

"Now listen. Regardless of what Dr. Regal may have done in the past, he has been a model citizen since losing ten years of his memories. Nebula is disbanded and there's absolutely no reason to suspect him of further wrongdoing."

Her reaction surprised the Colonel.

"I did not mean to imply any nefarious intent on his part. I was just wondering if there was something left behind by Nebula that had caught the Prometheus Group's interest… and if they were hoping to use Regal to find it."

"I doubt it." Lune said, shaking her head. "All of Nebula's assets were either confiscated or destroyed. And even if they got their hands on him, SoulNet's effect still seems to be permanent."

She sighed and for a moment the Colonel's trained eyes saw something else in her expression. A flash of regret.

"Regardless of who he became… and what he may have done or tried to do, he stopped being that kind of man long ago." she said resolutely. "He's at peace now and living as an upstanding member of society. Even if it were possible to dredge up his lost memories, it would be monstrous to do so."

"Pardon my assumption, but… are you acquainted with him?"

"I met him many, may years ago. He was always brilliant, and it was a tragedy to see a man of his intellect so twisted by hatred. But you already knew that, didn't you? Is that the reason why you came to me?"

The Colonel allowed himself a small smile.

"You've seen right through me, Dr. Lune. Maybe I'm losing my touch with age."

"Then let me tell you this. Some things are best left forgotten. Let the man enjoy his remaining years without being burdened by the memory of his crimes."

"I can imagine that many people would give anything to enjoy that kind of freedom." the Colonel mused. "Either way, his intellect is still an invaluable asset to the Robot Masters. The intelligence division will continue to ensure that no one tries anything against him."

* * *

A few more minutes later, as Lune left the tea house, Phantom walked up to her from a nearby alley.

"Are you all right?" he asked, his expression still undecipherable.

"The nerve of that man…" Lune grumbled.

"I am not sure what exactly about that conversation struck a nerve." Phantom said. "Then again, I was not aware that you knew Dr. Regal."

"Ancient history, my boy. But even if he didn't mean to pry, some things are best left forgotten."

"Are you talking about Dr. Regal… or someone else?"

"I meant what I said back there." Lune said with a pained expression. "And I know you heard every single word. Let's just say there are memories I could do without… and leave it at that."

"_You can't just cherry pick memories. __If__ you tug at one thread you can end up unraveling everything. __And then what?__"_

* * *

Meanwhile, in the training room…

"You need to grasp the basics before you go for the advanced stuff." Atreus cautioned, demonstrating some simple stances and motions. "Don't try to get fancy early on."

"You mean like this?" Maito answered, holding the baton with both hands in a vertical position above his head.

"You're leaving yourself wide open." Atreus said, before poking Maito's stomach with the tip of his baton for emphasis.

"That tickles!" the younger boy snorted, nearly dropping his training implement.

"Come on." Atreus said. "No time for horseplay. Try to copy my stances for now and we'll go from there."

* * *

Another half hour later…

"You're a quick learner." Atreus said appreciatively as the batons clashed once again.

"Yeah, but I can imagine a human would be getting sore wrists by now." Maito noted.

"Swordsmanship isn't usually about those over the top moves you see in movies." Atreus said with a nod. "You need to train body and mind and if you try to get too fancy you'll just end up hurting yourself."

By this point Raito was starting to get more than a little excited.

"Let me give it a try!"

Atreus once again struggled with his fear of hurting a sparring partner, but Amelia saw his hesitation and chimed in.

"Get the gear on. The helmet too."

"But…" Atreus tried to protest.

"But nothing." Amelia retorted, wagging a finger at him. "He's not made of glass and these aren't real swords."

She paused for a moment to let her words sink in and then delivered the finishing blow.

"Or are you going to let this fear control you?"

That struck a nerve. He looked at her, then at Raito, and sighed.

"No. You're right. Alex is right. Maybe I'm just being a big idiot about this whole thing."

"I wouldn't put it that way, but you need to have a little more confidence." she countered.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… you're afraid of hurting people because you're not sure about your own skill."

Seeing his lack of response, she continued, her expression devoid of humor.

"Did I strike a nerve, dear brother? I'm doing it for your own good, you know."

"Say what?" Raito interjected.

"I seem to have underestimated my sister." Atreus conceded. "I suppose it's a bit weird for someone like me to take up such a hobby."

Amelia's expression soon softened again.

"You said you wanted to work on your discipline, but that's not the whole truth, is it?"

"No, it's not. I hate hurting people, but I need to have the strength and conviction to protect others."

"That makes sense." Raito said. "My Dad and Uncle Hub know that sometimes you need some kind words… and other times you need to knock some sense into people."

"And there's nothing wrong in growing stronger together with your friends." Maito added. "Even if you get a few bumps on the head."

"This is exactly what Alex was trying to tell me all this time…" Atreus muttered. "But I was too stubborn to listen. I owe him an apology the next time I see him."

"I think he'll just be glad to get to spar with you again." Amelia said. "Just like in the old days."

Atreus gripped the handle of the baton and headed towards the rack, then reached for a set of protective equipment.

"Well, in that case I'd better work on my skills. He's probably head and shoulders above me right now."

With that, he strapped on the thick padded vest, the wristguards, the gloves and the helmet, then turned back to the Hikari boys.

"OK then. Let's start again from the beginning and see how far we can take this."

* * *

Elsewhere…

Emerging from one of the tunnels underneath the Sanctum, a strange Pantheon unit with a flight pack streaked upward from the rocky cliff face. Unlike the others, instead of blue it was painted completely black, which in conjunction with the cyclopean crimson sensor made it look even more unsettling. The other major difference was the gray metal cylinder tightly clutched in its right hand.

"This is it." a male voice said.

"Don't get too carried away." a second, deeper male voice advised. "This is just a little field test."

The black machine continued on its course, over the ocean, until it eventually encountered what looked like another of the alien probes.

"That'll do." the first male voice said.

With that, the black machine tightened its grip on the metal cylinder and an azure energy blade emerged from one of its ends.

Locking onto a small alien device shaped like a sphere crammed in the middle of a triangular base the black robot sliced it in two with a single swing of the blade, sending its severed halves plummeting towards the ocean.

"Next!"

The robot continued its flight, seeking another target, until it abruptly tumbled, almost like someone suddenly stepping into a hole.

"Damnit…" the deeper male voice hissed in annoyance.

After a couple of clumsy attempts, the black machine broke its fall, straightened itself and returned to its intended trajectory.

"Good." the deeper voice said. "Steady… Let's dial up the Synchro rate a little more."

* * *

A couple of hours later, at the Sanctum's upper floors...

After a long, drawn out session that had left Atreus and Raito drenched in sweat, the group decided to call it a day. After a shower and a change of clothes, the three boys made their way back to the living room and eventually ended up going back to what Raito and Maito referred to as their friend's education.

"Super Genesic Apocalyptic God-Machine Apotheosis." Raito said.

"Nah, that sounds incredibly pretentious." Atreus said with a wince. "In fact, why do so many shows overuse the word god and slap mythological deity names on things?"

Maito shrugged in response.

"No idea. But why don't you try coming up with something?"

"Invincible Super Fighting Robot Prototype X-1?" Atreus suggested.

"Not bad." Raito said with a grin. "I should write that one down."

"There you are!" Amelia called out, stepping into the living room.

Then, seeing the old giant robot show on the screen, paused in the middle of an action sequence, and the notebook on her brother's lap, her curiosity got the better of her.

"So... What are you doing?"

"Just unwinding a bit." Atreus said, relishing the sensation of a hot shower after a thorough workout.

"By the way, have you had time to check that list of shows we sent you the other day?" Raito asked.

"Not yet." Amelia said, shaking her head. "I guess we should get around to it soon, before something else happens."

"When you do, tell us what you think." Maito chimed in. "Some of that stuff is awesome."

Then a thought crossed his mind and he scratched his chin.

"Incidentally… How did you do that thing with the spear?"

"The beam? I… have no idea." Amelia admitted. "Spur of the moment, I guess?"

"The Hoplon may be mundane compared to the Apotheosis, but there's something about that weapon…" Atreus added. "The shield too."

"I just wish that machine didn't look so much like a Pantheon with goggles." Amelia lamented. "Those things still creep me out."

"Maybe you can get your grandma to help spruce it up?" Raito suggested. "Make it a little cuter?"

"Now there's an idea…" Amelia said with a grin.

"By the way…" Raito said.

"We found out something interesting a few days ago." Maito added.

"Oh?" Amelia asked.

"So, it looks like your dad had a Navi back in the day…" Raito added.

"What…?" Atreus muttered, quirking an eyebrow.

"You didn't know about this?" Maito asked, looking a little surprised.

"First I've heard of it." Amelia said. "In fact, we've ever seen either of our parents with a PET. I don't know if it's because of their personal beliefs but they sound like they'd be the last people to get a Navi partner."

"Well, check this out then." Raito said, before reaching out for the PET given to him by his father on his tenth birthday and playing a copy of the recording they'd watched before. Amelia quickly plopped down on the couch next to them to take a look as well.

Atreus took a long look at the footage and felt something strange and indescribable. His eyes widened like dinner plates and he sat there motionless for what felt like an eternity.

Raito took notice of this and waved a hand in front of his face.

"Hey! You OK?"

"I… don't…" Atreus muttered, feeling an overwhelming vertigo that nearly knocked him off his seat.

"My head…" Amelia whimpered next to him, with a glazed look in her eyes.

"Both of them?!" Maito muttered. "What the hell is going on?!"

With hurried footsteps, Lune rushed into the living room.

"What's going on?!" she cried out in alarm, having overheard the commotion. Then she noticed the footage playing on the screen.

"Oh… Oh…" she muttered to herself with a haunted look in her eyes.

"What?!" Raito cried out. "What's wrong?!"

"Are they having some kind of seizure?!" Maito added.

"Boys, give us a little space please." Lune said with an indecipherable expression.

Alarmed by the situation, they did as they were told and stepped out into the balcony, casting one last worried look at their friends before trying to calm down with a little fresh air.

Inside, Lune reached for her PET, a white model with a vintage design that belied its sophistication. She quickly pushed a button and sent out a call.

"Cadmus, get over here. The children are not well."

* * *

A few floors below, the Imperative dropped whatever he was doing and bolted to a door. Unwilling to wait for the elevator, he sprinted across several flights of stairs and into the living room in less than three minutes.

As he looked upon the scene in front of him, in his mind's eye he saw a tall, powerfully built figure clad in crimson armor over a black undersuit and a crimson helmet topped by a blue gem, with its face covered by an expressionless white faceplate with a pair of green eyepieces. Cascading down from the back of the helmet was a long, spiky golden mane, large enough to resemble a ragged cape. His companion of twenty years, the co-pilot of his body and the Navi he would have been glad to call a brother if a bizarre twist of fate had not changed everything.

"_Ah hell…"_ both of them thought in unison.

Though Cadmus had grown stronger and more capable of handling his emotional states through two decades of loving care from those around him, Zero was still better at handling extreme situations.

Sensing his host's agitated state and sharing the same concerns, Zero asserted himself.

"_Now isn't the time for panicking." _he spoke from the back of the Imperative's mind. _"I'll handle this."_

His eyes did not light up and his voice did not change, but there was a subtle shift in his posture as the Navi took charge of the situation, rushing to the children's side and meticulously checking their condition.

"What happened?" he asked, checking their pulse, breathing and pupils in order, using the LED flashlight built into his watch on a low setting to gauge the reaction.

"I caught a glimpse of the screen when I came in." Lune said before letting out a sigh as she tried to get the siblings to settle down. "It looks like Gallant's memories were triggered again."

"What do you mean?"

"A recording, from back in the day. I guess it was only a matter of time until they ended up stumbling upon something…"

"_All it took was a reco__rding__…"_ Cadmus noted, trying to contain his anxiety.

"_No, not just a recording."_Zero answered._"__The stress of battle and whatever that infernal machine is __doing to them too. __But w__e don't have time to __think__ about that now."_

"I'm going to get some more help." Lune said. "Keep them steady."

With that, she rushed out the door, reaching for her PET along the way.

"Fairy. We need you here. Where are you?"

Their state of shock did not last long, but as a precaution, the Imperative had both of them sit down and kept watch over them until Lune could return with Fairy and Ciel in tow, the three of them carrying portable diagnostic devices.

As the pair in their shared body backed away to give the children some breathing room and stood there, a bitter thought crossed Zero's mind.

"_This is all my fault…"_

"_Don't be ridiculous." _Cadmus retorted. _"We made the decision together."_

"_But I was still the one who pushed it." _Zero insisted, his frustration apparent to his host. _"__I just wanted them to get their fresh start and live in peace.__"_

"_We all did.__" _Cadmus retorted, not particularly proud of his old habit of keeping secrets. _"__We could at least have told the twins, b__ut the more people know a secret, the harder it becomes to contain."_

"_Look at them…" _Zero lamented, furious at himself._ "__We really fucked up.__"_

"_It's like the other Ciel said… The soul remembers. __But focus. We need to __figure out__ what to do now.__"_

"_I suppose you have a point."_ Zero conceded. _"Funny how the tables have turned."_

"_How many times did you have to talk some sense into me?"_ Cadmus reminded him. _"__Or have you forgotten how much of a neurotic, dramatic mess I used to be? __But enough of that."_

In their shared body, the two stared intently at the children and sighed, waiting for the examination to be concluded. Eventually though, the siblings began to stir.

"W-What happened?" Amelia muttered, still feeling somewhat disoriented.

"It will all make sense one day." the Imperative said, with both of his personalities trying not to betray their anguish. Then, he caught both children in his arms.

"I just want you to remember one thing." he added. "No matter what happens, we'll always try to protect you."

"That came a bit out of nowhere…" Amelia remarked. "But we know."

"_It's on now." _Zero decided. _"We're going to finish this bullshit before __things get out of hand. __But a__fter that, we're all going to have to sit down and have a very long conversation __with them__."_

"_This isn't like last time." _Cadmus agreed. _"I'd talk to them here and now but the last thing they need is an identity crisis on top of everything else."_

"_Let's not forget the twins either." _Zero added. _"I do feel like a dick for not telling them I was still alive."_

A moment later, Sarah stepped into the room.

"Sorry, I got a bit lost." she said before abruptly stopping as the state of the siblings became apparent.

"What happened?" she asked, giving them a concerned look. "More of those dizzy spells of yours?"

Cadmus looked over his shoulder and momentarily froze at the sight of her.

"_You..."_

"Do you need help?" she asked. "I'm a trained medic."

"We have things well in hand, but thank you." Cadmus said.

Ciel quickly opened two of the windows, letting some fresh air into the room, before approaching Sarah.

"Let's give them some room. They'll be fine in a few more minutes."

Ciel exchanged a quick glance with Cadmus, who discreetly nodded at her, and then she escorted the young woman to an adjacent room they had remodeled into a small study lined with bookshelves.

"I remember you." she said, offering a chair at the solid oak table. "We didn't get to speak much last time."

"Nice to get the chance." Sarah said with a polite nod. "But it looks like I picked a bad time to visit."

"Not at all." Ciel countered, offering the best smile she could muster. "Don't worry. They'll be fine."

"_Things are coming to a head...__ But now that you're here…"_

A few minutes later, a cellphone rang. Ciel quickly excused herself, headed to the nearest balcony and answered the call, finding a concerned Lan staring intently at the camera.

"The boys told me what happened." he said without ado. "Are those two OK?"

"They will be." Ciel said with an inscrutable expression. "Hopefully soon."

"Just what's going on?" Lan asked.

"It's complicated." Ciel said, before letting out a sigh.

While Lan was by all accounts considered rather dense, even after finally understanding and reciprocating the feelings of a certain girl next door, he was not the fool that some took him for.

"_There's something she's not telling me.__" _he realized.

Finesse had never been his strong point, but it was clear that her concern and fatigue were genuine. Choosing his words carefully, Lan took a direct approach.

"Ciel." he said evenly. "How long have we known each other now?"

"W-What?"

"It doesn't take a genius to see there's something else going on." Lan elaborated. "I know stuff like this has happened before. Usually while they were out fighting."

"It has. But the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with them."

Lan furrowed his brow and stared intently at her.

"So I've heard. What I don't understand is why they'd freak out like that over a recording of Gallant."

"I have my suspicions." she said with a guarded expression.

"What do you mean?"

"We'll talk about it later, in person. For now, don't worry. We're taking care of things."

"_And once this is done, we're going to have to sit down and have a long conversation."_ she thought, feeling a pang of guilt for keeping him in the dark.

"Tell me something." Lan said, narrowing his eyes as a lingering suspicion surfaced again. "Those children of yours. Are they..."

"Are they what?"

"Did you grow them… or did you make them?"

"W-What do you mean?" she stammered, caught by surprise.

"_Maybe I'm just reading too much into this…"_ Lan pondered. _"But there's something __very fishy__going on here.__"_

He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was amiss, but still felt guilty about prodding like that when Ciel was obviously distressed.

"Never mind." he relented, shaking his head. "Just keep us posted. We're all worried about them over here."

* * *

A couple of hours later, after a quick meal and some rest, the group settled in the living room once again, playing a board game for a change of pace. Eventually, Atreus looked at his watch and then at Sarah.

"It's getting late. We should probably get you back to the hotel."

"So what will it be?" Amelia asked with a smile. "A walk, a car ride, the God-Machine?"

"Not you too…" Atreus groaned. "Come on, that sounds so pretentious…"

"You know she's probably gonna keep doing it if you keep reacting, right?" Raito pointed out with a cheeky grin.

"It's probably a bit far for a walk, but both of us had universal vehicle training not too long ago." Atreus pondered. "Or…"

"You know what?" Sarah said. "I am a bit curious about what that thing looks like on the inside."

"Ooooh!" the nearly identical cousins hollered, exchanging glances.

"Well, you heard the lady." Amelia said. "You'd better do this properly though. Where's your piloting suit?"

"In the washing machine, where else?" he retorted.

Amelia scoffed.

"Oh come on. Is that the best you can do? I know you have spares. Besides, don't you love flying?"

"It's OK if you're too tired." Sarah said. "After what happened today I…"

"That would be the fastest way to get you there." Atreus conceded. "Besides, the Colonel will probably be upset if you stay out late."

"You almost sound like you're scared of him." Raito chimed in.

"I'm not." Atreus said defensively. "I just don't want people to get the wrong idea."

"So what, pray tell, is the right idea?" Amelia teased.

Atreus sighed, raised his hand and lightly brought it down on her forehead in a chopping motion.

"You're a very nosy girl, you know that?"

"And you're stubborn as ten thousand mules." she playfully retorted.

After the still-recent events of the day, she was definitely relieved that he seemed to be back to his usual self. On the other hand, she felt the same nagging questions as before racing through her mind, frustrating her to no end.

About fifteen minutes later, they wrapped up the game and the siblings led Sarah back into the elevator and into the underground hangar where the Apotheosis was waiting. After some additional badgering and prodding, he had given in and put on the suit, grumbling halfheartedly about his difficulty in refusing his mischievous sister's requests.

The hangar was silent. Whatever the Father and the Son did outside of battle, they seemed to either be too engrossed in it to notice their presence. Atreus couldn't help wondering if the two strange entities ever slept, but either way, he was glad not to hear them.

As he and his guest reached the construct's feet and the turned to the boarding platform, Amelia stood there watching, some distance away. Then, he stopped in his tracks, caught in a brief inner struggle before eventually turning to Sarah.

"I know this is going to sound strange..." he said, looking somewhat uncomfortable. "And probably a bit creepy… but sometimes I get this feeling… like I've known you for a very long time."

Sarah's eyes widened in surprise.

"So it's not just me… I thought I was going crazy."

"But how?" he wondered. "We've never crossed paths or even been to the same places before this whole mess started.."

"I don't know." she said, resting her chin on her knuckles. "And it scares me. It scares me because I get this nagging feeling that I'm forgetting something important."

Recalling her dejected expression at a particularly dark moment, he accidentally blurted out something he didn't mean to.

"Given everything that's happened to you, it must be even more disorienting."

"So you know..." she said, downcast.

"I did not mean to pry, but the truth fell on my lap." he cautiously said, still unsure how to mention having seen her in such a state. "Your parents went missing during the opening hours of the invasion, did they not?"

She nodded, looking dejected and exhausted. This was the first real break she was having since the beginning of the invasion, and it was showing.

"My sister and I were sent ahead to HQ to get set up. Colonel Devon was worried about us and talked to the Commander about taking us in."

She let out a sigh and then continued.

"There was an exhibit my mother absolutely wanted to see on that day. My father got her the admission tickets and managed to take the day off from his work."

With a sad smile, she searched her purse for something and then produced a leaflet about a museum exhibit on the relationship of human cultures with the natural world, specifically the influence of flora in daily life and the cultural impact of various notable species.

"My mother always loved nature, flowers in particular. She was actually a renowned botanist at one point, looking for medical applications in flora and developing new varieties both as part of her research and as a hobby."

"Oh?"

For a fleeting moment, her smile returned.

"At one point, when she was living in the Far East, she even had a laboratory with a greenhouse and a florist shop. She loved seeing the smiles on people's faces."

Atreus froze for a moment, staring at her with his jaw slightly ajar. Something about her words felt very familiar, but he had no idea why.

"And what happened to this shop?"

"This was before I was born. It was destroyed along with the greenhouse and lab during the Day of Sigma."

"No…" Atreus muttered, his eyes looking like they were about to bulge out of his sockets.

She gave him a quizzical look, confused by his reaction.

"Tell me." he pleaded, looking at her with a distant stare. "What was… what is her name?"

"Rose." she said, a little confused. "Why do you ask?"

Overcome by another sudden bout of disorientation, he closed his eyes. For a long drawn out moment, his mind carried him elsewhere and his senses visited upon him a series of sensations as though he were in an extremely vivid dream. The texture of grass against his back. The chirping of birds amidst the distinctive notes of a Vivaldi song. In his mind's eye, he caught a brief glimpse of some sort of garden and a figure approaching.

"Velvet?" he finally blurted out.

"Thorn." she answered, caught by surprise. "Velvet was her maiden name. How did you…?"

"Good question." he muttered, looking as surprised as her. "How did I…?"

His vacant expression gave her pause and she felt an inexplicable sinking sensation in her stomach.

"Hey… don't you go spacing out on me now!" she pleaded.

Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself placing a hand on his cheek in an attempt to settle him down. A strange sensation, much like a static discharge, coursed through her hand and the strangest sense of deja vu washed through her mind.

"Hey!" Amelia's voice called out, breaking both of them out of their daze.

"Isn't it a bit too soon for the whole starstruck thing?" she teased. "Should I bust out the cheesy soundtrack?"

"Sis…!" Atreus protested.

"I didn't say I disapproved." Amelia added, enjoying the embarrassed look on his face. "But don't you think you're going a little too fast?"

Feeling a sudden rush of heat to her face, Sarah quietly excused herself and bolted towards the small restroom adjacent to the hangar.

"Sometimes you really are the worst." Atreus grumbled, glaring at his sister.

"I know." she retorted without skipping a beat.

As soon as Sarah was out of earshot though, her expression turned completely serious.

"Again?" she simply asked.

"Looks like it." Atreus said with a nod. "What the hell is happening to us?"

"I'm not sure if you noticed, but whatever that was, it was affecting her too." Amelia pointed out.

"Really? Strange. Either way, we're no closer to making any sense of this."

"I guess we can exclude a pathogen." Amelia pondered. "After those exams we can also rule out brain damage or other physiological issues."

"So what does that leave?" Atreus wondered. "Stress alone wouldn't be enough to explain this and now it's clear that this is happening regardless of whether we're near that thing or not."

"We need more data." Amelia reluctantly said. "As much as the scientist in me hates to admit it, we may need to think outside the strictly rational and keep an open mind."

"Maybe get a second opinion?" Atreus suggested. "But who can we ask?"

"How about Dr. Jasmine? Her reputation is amazing and we can easily find her at the lab."

"Since the three of us are affected, we should probably get Sarah in on this." Atreus suggested. "Assuming we haven't scared her off."

"It was my mouth that sent her running." Amelia said, feeling a little guilty about her method of getting a word in private. "I'll-"

"No." Atreus cut her off. "I'll handle this."

"What?"

"Your jokes aside, I am worried about her." he said with a sigh. "That thing with her parents is still fresh in her memory but she's still trying to carry herself through. Knowing what's going on, I can't just look the other way."

"And there you go into puppy mode again." she noted with a fond smile. "It's a wonder you're still single."

"W-What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm just saying that if more people knew you, Alex wouldn't be the only one hiding from wannabe suitors." she said with a grin.

"People are really going to get the wrong idea if you keep saying things like that." he grumbled.

"Don't care." she retorted with a shrug. "It's part of my duty as a sister to make sure you don't get hurt by some floozy. Now go on, talk to the girl."

"_Jokes aside...__" _she pondered with a growing smile as she watched him leave._"__When he gets that determined look on his face it's like he turns into one of those knights he reads so much about." _

Then another thought crossed her mind.

"_I guess we'll see if those two end up hitting it off. She looks like a nice girl and __it's about time he found someone__.__"_

For all her teasing and joking, she was genuinely concerned about his well-being, doubly so since the strange bouts of disorientation had started.

Atreus lightly knocked on the door.

"Are you all right?"

"Y-Yeah, sorry. I just need a moment."

"Sorry. I know my sister can he a handful."

"No, it's… not that."

"Oh?"

"I think... I had a little too much soda."

"Oh..."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Hikari Laboratory…

The Gespenst RV touched down in one of the hangars and Gilliam made his way out, clad in the typical X-COM piloting suit. In an adjacent chamber, visible through reinforced glass paneling, Lan noticed his arrival and made his way there to greet him.

"I hope I didn't come at a bad time." Gilliam said, noticing the small army of technicians working on the Drill Machine.

"We'll manage." Lan answered. "Besides, my assistants have been eager to swap notes ever since they heard you were the one who designed the Gespenst."

Lan led the Major into a lounge on the same floor, where Tron and Ms. Yumi were sitting on a large red futon, going over some reports on a tablet. Once the two men entered the room, they quickly stood up.

"Oh!" Tron interjected, looking a little giddy. "You're here!"

"It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." Gilliam said, flashing a soft smile.

"The pleasure is ours." Tron replied, before glancing at her colleague. "Right Saya?"

"Right…" Ms. Yumi said, sounding a little tired.

"Are you OK, Ms. Yumi?" Lan asked. "Do you need some coffee?"

The young woman smiled awkwardly.

"Thanks for the offer, but Iris has already been very clear on that matter. Any more of it today and she might really destroy the coffee maker."

Lan chuckled softly.

"That's so like her. But she's got a point. I'm trying to cut back on it myself."

"I understand that these young ladies are responsible for a good portion of the Robot Masters' success." Gilliam said.

"You give us too much credit." Tron replied, looking a little embarrassed. "I hope I can learn from you and make myself a little more useful around here."

"Oh come now." Ms. Yumi protested. "Give yourself a little more credit. Why don't you show the Major that robot you've been working on?"

Tron shook her head.

"Uh… it's far from being ready, you know?"

"If it wouldn't be too much of a bother, I'd still like to see it." Gilliam insisted.

Whether it was due to the man's earnest smile or his tone, or simply because she enjoyed the fact that someone was giving her work serious attention, Tron relented.

"Well… you did come all the way here. Right this way."

With that, the two young assistants led the Major through the corridors of the laboratory, until they reached a small workshop. Lan kept pace with them until they reached the door.

"Let me know if you need anything. I'm going to check up the repairs."

With that, he excused himself.

Inside, Gilliam saw a curious robot, humanoid in shape, but with a yellow chassis, an exaggeratedly large head and hands like tongs. Some of the outer paneling was off, revealing an array of circuits and mechanical components.

"This is something I've been working on for a while." Tron said, letting a hint of pride seep through. "To help protect the lab and the kids. For now I'm calling it the Reaver."

"I take it that the external appearance is deliberate?" the Major deduced. "To help it blend in and appear harmless?"

"Exactly!" Tron confirmed with a grin. "This baby is strong enough to lift a car and tough enough to block large caliber bullets and directed energy blasts. Or he'll be once I'm done."

For about half an hour, Tron explained the intricacies of its construction and function in great detail. In turn, Gilliam made a few small suggestions, which she fervently wrote down on a notebook. When they were finally done, Gilliam nodded.

"I'll definitely be looking forward to seeing the completed version. For someone so young, you are already showing extraordinary potential."

"Well, I was already picking my parents' Roombas when I was five. By the time I was ten, I was restoring vintage TVs and computers for fun. But robots… those have always fascinated me."

"Planning to build a giant one yourself one day?" Ms. Yumi teased.

"Why not?" Tron replied. "Maybe the next team of heroes defending Earth will be fighting with a batch of Tron Bonne originals. Now I just need to find a hot-tempered boy with pointy sideburns…"

"That's… strangely specific." Ms. Yumi noted.

"Well, considering that you already look the part of the sidekick love interest…"

Ms. Yumi scoffed.

"Oh please. Sayaka Yumi was much more than just a sidekick or love interest. She easily carried half the show… though she had a habit of jumping into things without thinking."

"_She has no idea, does she?"_ Gilliam thought in amusement.

"Of course you'd say that, seeing how you're the spitting image of her." Tron retorted with a smile. "It's actually weird, you know. The first time I saw you I wondered if I was hallucinating."

"You're not the first to say that…" Ms. Yumi conceded, mentally groaning at her unfortunate choice of alias.

"_It's about time I did something about that… maybe a haircut and a change of wardrobe will do the trick."_

Seeing the discomfort she was trying to hide, Gilliam tried to steer the conversation into a different direction.

"Actually, I was rather curious about that jetpack the X-1 has been sporting. From what I understand, it was your creation, Ms. Yumi?"

Seeing the opportunity before her, she took it.

"That thing? It was a bit of a rush job, but it's been holding up very well so far. The X-1 is away right now but I can show you the schematics."

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Tron asked.

"The Major is on our side." Ms. Yumi reasoned with a shrug. "That thing probably isn't all that impressive compared to the Gespenst or some of our other machines, but who knows? Maybe it'll give him some ideas."

"OK then." Tron said. "I'll be working on the Reaver some more if you need me."

Without needing to be told twice, Ms. Yumi quickly ushered their guest out of the workshop and through the corridors. Once they were out of earshot, Gilliam smiled and turned to her, without breaking stride.

"I can see how surreal the whole thing must feel, Lisa."

"Don't call me that around here." she hissed. "I already had to tell Axl off for it."

"Aren't you being a little dramatic about this whole thing though?"

She let out a deep sigh and led him into one of the elevators.

"I hate lying." she finally said once the doors had closed. "Even if I had my reasons, it's just not something I feel comfortable about. And then there's the way half the people here talk about my parents. Idolizes them as fictional characters. It's both embarrassing and endearing."

"Breathe." the Major advised. "I can tell you've been under a lot of stress, but hopefully you'll be able to wind down a bit after doing a little catching up."

"So you've been able to put it together then?"

Again the Major smiled.

"It's a rather trivial thing for me. The tricky part was finding enough time for it."

"Are you still trying to play games with Amuro and Char?" she asked accusingly.

"I told you before. These are not the same men you or I knew."

"But..."

"They have the potential, yes, but it's better that someone is there to guide them rather than letting them fall into the patterns we already know."

"I… understand that."

The Major seemed a little surprised.

"I had an… unexpectedly interesting conversation with Axl." she explained. "About potential, possibility and my reasons for being on edge. I still don't feel particularly comfortable about being around those two, though."

"Because of their complicated history in your Earth?"

"Among other things. When I look at that face, even if it's a younger version and still using his birth name, I can't help thinking about all the stupid, reckless and utterly pointless things Char Aznable did."

"I was rather surprised to see them here myself." the Major admitted. "It's like I'm looking at younger versions that had the chance to grow into stable adults instead of being turned into glorified child soldiers."

"My parents warned me about that man." Ms. Yumi reminisced. "About his ability to get people on board with his schemes no matter how ludicrous. About the destruction he left in his wake. Seeing the Comet and the Meteor here, acting like best friends is…"

"Their relationship was usually complicated." Gilliam pointed out. "To be honest, once the shock wore off, seeing them like that made me feel… hopeful."

"Hopeful?"

"That they wouldn't fall into the same patterns as their counterparts. Besides, you should know that a parallel history is not a sentence set in stone. After all, I know you know about Zero and Infinity."

"That's…"

"I was there, you know. I fought alongside your parents when those two threatened to unravel the universe."

"I hear it was a battle for the ages."

"It really was. Granteed Dracodeus and Great Zeorymer unleashing the entirety of their power. The Spiral Man and Neo Granzon tearing a hole in the fabric of reality, creating a pocket dimension where the fighting could be contained. The Mazin Emperors, the exiled prince, the wielders of Getter and the King of Braves striking as an unstoppable force. And then all the others who joined the battle."

"That was the last you saw of Amuro and Char, wasn't it?"

"That was the last anyone saw of them, as far as I know. Despite their history, or maybe because of it, they were able to work in unison and collapsed the pocket dimension through sheer force of will. It just serves to show that none of us can see where all paths lead."

The two remained silent for the rest of the walk, until Ms. Yumi opened the door to a small office not far from Lan's. Inside was an array of computers and screens hooked together in a mass of cabling. Across the large desk where they were set up, piles of notes and sketches were strewn haphazardly, along with a few empty energy drink cans and the empty packaging of what looked like Chinese takeout.

"I may be a lady, but I'm not so good at keeping a tidy work space." she said, preemptively justifying herself.

Gilliam smiled in response.

"This? Oh, this is nothing. Have you ever been to the Saotome Lab?"

"Anyway…" she added, before quickly locking the door. "Can I see it?"

Gilliam nodded and reached into a small pouch hanging from his belt, producing what looked like a compact circuit board.

"Tell me, Lisa. Have you ever heard of System XN?"

"Not really."

"Well, long story short, after a long time wandering between parallel universes, I realized that I needed a way of getting messages across. The RV has a larger version of this dimensional transmission system, but for our purposes your suit's systems should be powerful enough once we install the signal amplifier module."

"Thanks." she said, taking the object in her hand.

She then stared at him in awkward silence for a moment.

"Is something wrong?" Gilliam asked.

"Uh… could you turn around please?" she asked, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

"So you can't summon the suit in individual pieces then?"

"Something like that." she grumbled. "And Aunt Minerva has weird tastes, so I try not to wear it unless I need to."

To her surprise, Gilliam laughed softly.

"W-What's so funny?" she stammered.

"Oh, before setting this up I talked to your father. About people getting the wrong idea about certain things."

"I'll say this much. From what I hear my mother had quite a temper when she was younger… and was quick to jump to conclusions."

"It's true. She has mellowed out with age. Well then…"

With that, Gilliam turned towards the door, allowing her to summon the suit.

"Mazin Flash." she muttered.

In a golden flash of light, the mighty but ridiculously form-fitting suit of armor materialized on her body. Once the light subsided, Gilliam turned back to her.

"I can… definitely see your point." he said diplomatically.

"Well then…" she said, her voice filtering through the suit with a slight electronic distortion. "Where to I put this?"

The Major raised his index finger.

"I'm not familiar with the suit's specific design, but if it's anything like the Tekkaman suits I studied once upon a time, then… May I?"

She nodded and stood still. With practiced ease, he touched the back of her neck with his fingertips, trying to be as quick and respectful as possible.

"Wha-!" she gasped. "What are you looking for?"

"If the suit was designed by Minerva, I imagine there would be some sort of access panel around this area… or at the top of the head, reminiscent of the Pilder's docking slot."

"I've been wondering about that too." she admitted. "If the suit gets damaged and needs to be pried open for repairs, it's gonna be a pain."

Soon enough, the Major's fingers found what looked like a tiny screw in the back of the helmet, holding a panel in place.

"Ah. There. Do you have any screwdrivers around here?"

"Just a moment." she said, before turning to the desk and opening one of the drawers on the right hand side, producing a small toolbox. "Will any of these do?"

"In Omnia Paratus, I see." the Major noted appreciatively.

"Just… get this over with, please." she retorted, still feeling a bit self-conscious.

He nodded and checked the screwdrivers, quickly finding one small enough for the task at hand. Within seconds, he had removed the tiny screw and the panel, and was looking at a series of compact circuit boards.

"Quite the gear you've got here." he remarked. "I don't suppose Minerva fitted some black boxes in here too?"

"Don't even kid about it." she said with a wince, though she appreciated the effort to diffuse the tension with a bad joke. "But so, can you fit that in?"

Gilliam nodded.

"It looks like this structure was prepared with future upgrades in mind. This won't take nearly as long as I thought."

Less than three minutes later, having connected the module and fitted the panel back in, Gilliam was tightening the screw again.

"There we go."

"They weren't kidding about your engineering skills." she said appreciatively. "Thank you. Now, how do I use this?"

"The amplifier module has its own custom software. It should interface with your suit's communication suite on its own. Give it a try."

With that, he put the screwdriver down on the desk, turned around and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Well, I imagine you have a lot of catching up to do with your family… and you could do with a bit of privacy."

"Not so fast, Gilliam." she said, wagging a plated finger at him. "I'm sure the folks will want to thank you too."

With that, she activated the suit's communications suite and the interface appeared in front of her eyes. A new set of options followed soon after and she tried to establish a connection.

"Hello?" she called out, once the static cleared. "Is this thing on?"

"Lisa Kabuto!" a familiar woman's voice thundered through the helmet's built-in headphones, making her yelp in surprise. "Where have you been?!"

Despite the less than tender reaction, the young woman stranded in another world couldn't help feeling her eyes getting moist.

"Oh… Mom! I missed you so much, temper and all!"


End file.
